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Post by lagatta on Aug 1, 2010 11:22:13 GMT
Dar Laarch,ou Boulettes de poulet de la mariée (The Bride's Chicken Meatballs)
I disagree with the writer that this recipe would be a typical "weeknight supper". It is fussy and if you are using real saffron, not cheap. I've had similar "chicken balls" (which sounds like tiny cock testicles, no?) made with powdered almond instead of bread, breadcrumbs or couscous/bulghur as "glue". Remember that meatballs made with powdered almond (almond meal) are also something you can serve to guests with a gluten intolerance. I can buy it for a most reasonable price at Adonis, a big Lebanese supermarket here, for example.
Obviously cilantro haters can omit it, perhaps substituting a different herb, but just the flatleaf parsley is fine. I've also made them just with cilantro. -------------------------------------------------------
Chicken meatballs can be a wonderful weeknight supper, served with rice or couscous. In Tunisia, Daisy Taieb's family served chicken meatballs served with crushed dried rose petsl to break the fast after Yom Kippur. If you can't find dried rose petals, the chicken balls will still be delicious
Serves 6 to 8
for the meatballs:
2 lbs ground chicken 4 small onions, finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 6 tbsps chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 1-inch-thick slices country bread, soaked in water and squeezed dry 3 tsp crushed dried unsprayed rose petals (optional) freshly grated nutmeg to taste good pinch of ground turmeric or saffron threads, crushed 2 tsp salt freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 eggs
for the sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil 4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 bay leaf salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, or 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
To make the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and knead the mixture until it holds together. Form one meatball and poach it in lightly salted water to test the seasoning. Adjust as necessary. Form the mixture into walnut-sized balls.
To make the sauce, in a large sauté pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add all the remaining ingredients and about 2 inches of water. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken balls, cover and poach until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. If you like, brown them under the broiler or in a hot oven. Seve with couscous alongside or in the centre of a platter, surrounded by the meatballs.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2010 15:03:10 GMT
If you're a meat lover, you can certainly make a meatier product than the probably "stretched" commercial ones. Also, it's useful to make a big batch then freeze them in separated, smaller amounts. If you make them small enough, you can come home from work, get out a bag of them, and quickly simmer them in some sauce or soupy base to suit your fancy. Frankly, I think that one of the things I like is that they are "stretched" with non GM soy. Just as I appreciated the bread crumbs stretching my grandmother's meat patties, I like my ground meat to mixed with non-meat ingredients. Even when eat a steak tartare, I try to mix in as much stuff as possible.
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Post by lagatta on Aug 1, 2010 15:25:47 GMT
I did some of the tiny lamb meatballs - mixed with some fine couscous, dried and fresh onion, garlic, cardamom, smoked paprika and one peewee egg. Since I didn't have a lot I did bake them in a largeish toaster oven. I don't use Pam - I used a tiny bit of normal sunflower oil, applied with a silicone pastry brush. Now they will be simmered in a light tomato sweet red pepper, Hungarian paprika paste and lime (could be lemon, but I have limes) sauce. People love these - they are among those foods that take a while to make (in quantity) and are hoovered up in a matter of minutes. They are a kind of tapa.
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Post by cristina on Aug 1, 2010 17:26:49 GMT
Lagatta, your lamb meatballs with pine nuts sound delicious. I almost never buy ground lamb (for no reason that I can think of), but I might need to go buy some soon to try this recipe.
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Post by lagatta on Aug 1, 2010 20:47:03 GMT
Perhaps it is overpriced where you live, not so readily available, or fatty and not appealing? I bought some at a small supermarket run by a Maghrebi family here. They are an Intermarché, a banner of the ubiquitous Loblaws empire, that seems to specialise in smallish supermarkets catering to different "ethnic" clienteles.
Do pine nuts also grow in the Southwestern US? I'd think you would have the climate for them. Isn't there something similar indigenous to your region?
You could substitute another meat, perhaps veal? They could even be made with poultry, but ground poultry tends to be a bit sticky to work with when raw.
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Post by cristina on Aug 1, 2010 20:57:10 GMT
I don't see ground lamb typically in my regular supermarket, but I do have reasonably close access to two very good Middle Eastern markets. I just have to make a point of going to one of them to get the lamb. I would much rather make your recipe with lamb anyway, as I generally avoid both veal and chicken.
And Colorado Pinyon trees are native to Northern AZ but I have never seen their pine nuts for sale at any of the local markets, unfortunately, so I make do with the supermarket variety. I always have pine nuts on hand.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 2, 2010 15:11:21 GMT
Speaking of Arizona, I love your new avatar, Cristina!
I went to the supermarket yesterday and there was a special on ground beef, nicely displayed in the butcher's case, rather than smushed and wrapped on a styrofoam tray. I bought a kilo of the stuff, thinking it was a cosmic sign to make meatballs of some type.
Maybe some of the meat will become tiny meatballs in the middle eastern mode (even though it's beef), then just poached in a little broth and served on rice.
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Post by cristina on Aug 3, 2010 3:15:07 GMT
Speaking of Arizona, I love your new avatar, Cristina! It was kind of a b**ch to find where I read this after reading other threads. Anyway, not to derail, but that is a photo I took with my trusty iPhone. Still not sure how to make the proportions right for an avatar. And despite the environment, that photo was taken a mere half mile from my office. And I do not work in the country/hinterlands. Also, I do not have a recipe to share at the moment, so please carry on...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2010 17:16:07 GMT
Call me lazy!
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Post by lagatta on Aug 4, 2010 2:20:08 GMT
Are they nice? I'm sure mine are nicer. And probably still halal, despite my sinful ways. Halal is less strict than kashrout about food prep vessels, and there was no wine, and certainly no pork, in my boulettes kefta.
Not that I have any objection to either. Just didn't fit the flavour profile.
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Post by lagatta on Oct 26, 2013 22:08:22 GMT
food site Chowhound chose meatballs as their home cooking dish of the month in September 2012, and there are sure a lot of varieties! chowhound.chow.com/topics/866162#7559529It seems short on the Latin American varieties, but meatballs (and meatless balls) are eaten the world over.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2013 22:33:54 GMT
I always wonder who invented the meatball.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Oct 27, 2013 12:26:35 GMT
I LOVE meatballs!You are invited to come to see my collection. I have hundreds. Albóndigas al Chipotle, Sweet and Sour Cabbage and Meatball Soup; Sopa de Albóndigas, and, never forget the classic Italian American dish, Polpette, for spaghet.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 27, 2013 16:28:51 GMT
What about Svedish ~~ no Svedish?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2013 16:33:11 GMT
I was reading the rather informative meatball entry on Wikipedia and it pretty much confirmed something that I already knew -- meatballs are not traditionally eaten in France except along the German and Belgian borders. My grandmother would attach the old manually operated meat grinder to the kitchen table from time to time and my brother and I would have fun grinding up everything she gave us to put through it -- a leftover pork chop, a piece of steak, some pieces of chicken -- whatever was hanging around in the refrigerator and needed to be used. Then we would run an onion through the grinder along with a piece of stale baguette and some branches of parsley. She would mix this with an egg or two and probably a little bit of flour depending on the consistency and fashion the results not quite into meatballs but into fat patties which would be fried for dinner. I still remember them fondly. The closest to a meatball item that is a major part of French cuisine would be the extremely popular stuffed tomato. A pork sausage mixture is generally used for the stuffing but I'm quite sure that there are numerous regional and family variations around the country. Meatballs themselves have made it France exclusively in the frozen food section and are mostly sold as a North African item which is common in meatball couscous (" couscous boulettes"). Naturally the frozen food companies use the usual trick of replacing quite a bit of the beef with soy protein to make a bigger profit. However, they are quite good since they are spicy and I buy them from time to time. I seem to recall that the box they come in does gives suggestions like "serve them with pasta or rice" but everybody knows they are really meant to go into the couscous bouillon. I also see miniature meatballs on wooden skewers in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. They are imported from Spain and sold as tapas.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2015 17:42:44 GMT
I tried to make meatballs again the other night and failed miserably. They were edible but not at all the way I wanted them to be.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2015 17:49:52 GMT
Here's how I make them:
Freshly ground meat (beef, lamb, veal or pork), ground onion, garlic, parsley and whatever else suits your fancy (marjoram, cumin, saffron). Soak breadcrumbs or torn fresh bread in milk for several minutes, grind that up. Maybe add parmesan or crumbled feta, if the mood strikes you. No eggs, eggs make them tough and spongey. Form into balls, sear, and then finish cooking in the oven.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2015 17:55:01 GMT
Probably the egg has been my downfall.
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Post by tod2 on Jan 20, 2021 16:01:14 GMT
I took out a punnet of ground beef from the freezer this afternoon and placed it in the fridge to defrost by tomorrow afternoon. So I started hunting around for a recipe that would take me away from savoury mince, curried mince, mince meatballs, or hamburger patties. The only thing I found was a Salisbury Steak from Chef John on Food Wishes. Simply put it is a marriage between a meatloaf and a hamburger but shaped in little oblong patties made from a mixture that has developed flavours over night from the spices etc. After grilling or frying it is served with a delicious gravy, mashed potatoes and a green vegetable like beans or brocolli.
This means I can make the mixture in the morning and put the patties in the Airfryer at dinner time. I fancy lightly steamed buttered cabbage and carrots with my mash.
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Meatballs
Jan 20, 2021 17:34:27 GMT
via mobile
Post by whatagain on Jan 20, 2021 17:34:27 GMT
Sounds good.
A teuck i learned recently when cooking boulettes is to incorporate a little bit of sparkling water. Usually with some bread. It makes them lighter...
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 20, 2021 17:59:49 GMT
My meatballs/boulettes are nearly always failures of one kind or another. There is clearly some sort of secret ingredient in industrial meatballs that I am missing. Possibly glue.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 20, 2021 19:23:01 GMT
Tod, I am sure your Salisbury steak was delicious. It is such a mainstay in the US that is it common in school lunches, cafeterias, blue plate specials, and tv dinners.
Sparkling water?! I wonder if that really works. Have you tried it yet, Whatagain?
Meatballs must be in the air this week. My son & I had a long discussion about them, as the goal in our family is to reproduce the ones my grandmother made. What is your gripe with the ones you make, Kerouac? I see up in reply #46 that lizzyfaire claims eggs are wrong. I beg to differ & say that she is wrong. The rule should be eggs yes, milk no.
Start with bread or bread crumbs well wetted with water -- wetter than you think you want the mixture. Add egg(s), minced onion & garlic, herbs appropriate to the kind of meatballs you're making, the ground meat, and salt. Mix it thoroughly, but with a light hand, then stick in the fridge for 30 minutes at the very least. Form the balls and lightly fry or broil them before putting them into broth, gravy, or sauce. If sauce or gravy, make sure that either of those is much more watery than you want the finished product to be. Gently put the balls into the liquid and, when it returns to a simmer, turn the heat down as far as possible. Leave to simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.
You can check the meatballs at any point in the cooking process if you think they're cooked through. The long simmering means that the flavor of the cooking liquid will permeate the meat, making it both more flavorful and lighter in texture.
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Post by breeze on Jan 20, 2021 22:41:57 GMT
whatagain has the right idea, or at least one of the right ideas.
I used to have a Danish cookbook. It seems to be gone, but I have their recipe for frikadeller. It calls for 1/2# each of beef and pork and one onion, put through the grinder twice. Then add a little flour or breadcrumbs. Then, two tablespoons at a time, stir in soda water up to 1/2 pint. Then add one egg, salt and pepper. Make into ovals and fry in hot butter slowly.
The recipe says frikadeller made with milk and bread crumbs are not as light but are easier to handle.
The book also had recipes for Veiled country lass and Rodgrod med flod (sorry, don't have the keyboard for Danish vowels).
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Meatballs
Jan 21, 2021 0:19:46 GMT
via mobile
Post by Biddy on Jan 21, 2021 0:19:46 GMT
Anyone put ricotta in the center of meatballs? 1/2 ground pork, 1/2 ground beef, garlic, parmesan cheese and a slice of bread soaked in milk mixed together with an egg. Make a flat pancake put a teaspoon of ricotta on top and then form into a ball shape. I know generally Italian/American families have their own variation.
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Post by tod2 on Jan 21, 2021 10:07:40 GMT
Breeze - I had fun going onto the Danish translater into English with the pronunciation! My Danish sounds difficult. Veiled Country Lass was Tilsoret Landsmasse and Rodgrod med flod was Red Porridge with milk - I think. Now when it comes to Frikkadeller - that's easy because it's the same in Dutch and AFRIKAANS. My mother made them often. These had a strong note of corriander. Yes Bixa, The TV dinner was mentioned by Chef John as being one of the highlights of a certain day in the week when the family would gather around the old TV and watch one of only three channels and enjoy a Salisbury steak TV dinner. He said the one he was showing us how to make was nothing like the TV dinner one. Kerouac, I can't imagine whats going wrong with your meatballs except maybe they need to be chilled very well and cooked on a fairly high heat to start with to prevent them 'boiling' and falling apart. I always roll them in well seasoned flour or cornstarch before frying. What about tossing the raw meatball in beaten egg then flour then fry? I've noticed mine fell apart if I made the mixture too sloppy or added fried chopped onion. Raw onion seems to hold better. Biddy - that is a great idea. I have a lot of ricotta in the fridge. I won't do all that way but will give one or two a try. Just for fun here is the South African version - www.curiouscuisiniere.com/frikkadel-with-sheba-sauce/
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 21, 2021 18:13:17 GMT
Tod, I always think the goal with meatballs is to get them tender inside and for them to have the flavor of their sauce all the way through them. I'd think coating them before the initial frying or broiling would hinder the sauce from getting inside. As far as cooked or raw onion, I believe the raw onion is part of what keeps a meatball tender, as the onion cooks and releases its moisture inside the ball. Here is your favorite Chef John's meatball recipe: www.allrecipes.com/recipe/220854/chef-johns-italian-meatballs/I'm intrigued by all the frikadeller recipes. Interesting idea about the ricotta, Biddy -- something I never thought of. The "surprise" item in meatball mixture I always think of is a hardboiled egg, although in my family it was not incorporated in the bruciulun'. That is a rolled, stuffed cut of beef cooked in tomato sauce. The way it's made in my family is to use a cut of round wrapped around meatball mixture, although there are many variations, including some with no meat inside. I'm a firm fan of the meatball mixture stuffed one, not only because it's the one my grandmother made, but because the mixture moisturizes the round steak wrapping from the inside out and makes a lovely finished meat. Here is one of the simple versions for guidance: archive.jsonline.com/features/recipes/83391812.htmlAnd another version I'm including mostly for its photos showing how to roll the meat: asicilianpeasantstable.com/2017/05/sicilian-stuffed-beef-roll-farsumagru/
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Post by tod2 on Jan 22, 2021 9:48:54 GMT
Bixa thanks so much for all those links. I took the bull by the horns this morning and decided to go with the flow! I added finely chopped raw onion, a heaped tablespoon of Savory Mince spice from a Knorr packet, a teaspoon of Portuguese spice, minced garlic and chopped parsley, fresh origanum, and several stalks of fresh thyme - leaves pulled off, and at the very last minute after surveying the mixture, I added a small egg and a slice of white bread soaked in a little water. The result is going to be interesting. I don't think trying to get them in and out of the airfryer will work - too confined so will start them on the stove top and transfer the pan to the oven. Wish me Salisbury luck!!
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