The Global Meatball

The meatball may be humble, but it certainly is a versatile morsel of goodness.  Whether you use ground beef, pork, lamb, turkey, elk or a combination, you can add any flavour you want to produce a meatball  with global flair.  Not only are the  flavour combinations endless, so too are the culinary uses for a meatball.  I’ve happily eaten meatballs as an appetizer, with pasta, stuffed into a pita or in tasty soups.  The basic recipe below can  be transformed time and time again into new and interesting meal possibilities.

Basic Meatball Recipe

Makes  2 Batches – 40 Large meatballs or 80 Mini Meatballs

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup parsley, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 2 slices of bread, crust removed
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)

1. Break bread up into small pieces and soak in milk (let sit for 5 minutes)
2. Meanwhile combine all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Squeeze out the excess moisture from the bread,  then add bread to the meat mixture.
4. Use your hands to mix all the ingredients thoroughly.
5. Begin rolling your meatballs into desired size, place on a parchment lined baking sheet as you go. Split the final number of meatballs on to two separate baking sheets.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place one batch  of meatballs in the oven until cooked through - 15-20 minutes (size will determine cooking time).  Alternatively, you can place a skillet over medium high heat, place 1 tsp olive oil in pan and cook meatballs on all sides to brown.
7. Place second batch in the freezer on the cookie sheet until frozen. Once frozen place in air tight container.

1. Transfer cooked meatballs into a classic tomato sauce and use to top pasta or make a meatball sub.
2. Place 1 can coconut milk and 2 Tbsp Thai Red curry paste in a pot, whisk together and bring to boil.  Add cooked meatballs and 3 cups fresh baby spinach, serve immediately on brown rice.
3. Combine  2 chopped chipotle peppers, 1/2 cup chili sauce , 1/4 cup raspberry jam and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, add cooked meatballs and reduce heat.
4. Stuff cooked meatballs into a pita, top with tomatoes, cucumbers and store bought tzatziki.

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Andrea

Andrea Buckett enjoys a career that has embraced multiple arenas as a diversified food expert; her experience is rich in knowledge about all things food. Founder of Insatiable Food, Andrea has encompassed exciting platforms on television, in writing, recipe development, culinary instructing and food event productions. Combined with a keen eye for food trends and a strong background in homeopathic medicine and nutrition, Andrea’s passion is to inspire others to eat well and live well. Andrea is an active social media user with her Blog Insatiable Food, you can follow her on Twitter & Facebook.