Recipe 5: Herbed Turkey Meatballs

This recipe seemed like a wise choice for myself and Andy. We do not eat much red meat, yet love to have spaghetti with meatballs or meatball subs. Ground turkey is a good substitute for ground beef, when it is cooked properly. Since turkey is a very lean meat, it does not tend to yield much in the flavor department, however this recipe includes the use of fresh herbs and a citrus zing to jazz up the tired "Thanksgiving" taste of turkey.

Herbed Turkey Meatballs
Williams-Sonoma Simple Suppers, 2006

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 a large yellow onion, chopped finely
1 small rib of celery, chopped finely
1 lb. of ground turkey
1 egg
1 cup of fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery and saute for about 4-5 minutes or until soft. Spoon into a bowl and let cool, set the frying pan aside. Add the turkey, bread crumbs, egg, oregano and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper to the cooled onion and celery mixture, and mix gently. Shape into 12 meatballs and arrange on a greased baking sheet.

Getting things in order.... mise en place!

Bake the meatballs until opaque, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the orange juice, cranberries and sugar in the frying pan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring often until the juice boils and the cranberries begin to pop. Divide meatballs and serve with sauce.

 

Beautiful presentation with the onion and celery.

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This recipe is like a petite version of Thanksgiving dinner. You have a delicious turkey flavor, followed by the texture of stuffing (with the onion and celery), topped off with a delicious cranberry and orange sauce. If used individually, the meatballs would translate to any time of the year. Pair them with spaghetti sauce for meatball subs or spaghetti and meatballs, or make them a bit smaller and add them to soups!

The sauce also has a wonderful consistency and taste. This recipe is great for those who would love to make a quick and easy cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving or whenever they please. The sauce would also go well with pancakes or dinner rolls. Yum!

This meal is very versatile and can be changed to fit what you are looking for. Also, you can freeze the baked meatballs for a later use. Just pull them out of the freezer and reheat them for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. The sauce freezes well too!

As a side note, I visited my local Williams and Sonoma store in the Polaris Mall. I found the cookbook I am cracking down for a whopping $17.95. So it is still out there if you are looking to try it, or as per my advice, visit your local used book store or over stock store such as Big Lots or the Christmas Tree Store. I paid $3.95 for my copy!

Later lovessss

Abbie