Bay Area LIFE: Whip up simple turkey meatballs for dinner tonight
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Homemade Turkey Meatballs! Whip up this simple recipe for dinner tonight.
Recipes:
Turkey Meatballs
Serves 4
1 Pound Ground Turkey
Cup Grated Onion, From 1 Whole Small To Medium Onion
1 Large Egg
1/3 Cup Breadcrumbs
Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Whole Cloves Garlic, Minced
Teaspoon Lemon Zest
Teaspoon Salt
Teaspoon Pepper
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
2 Tablespoons Chopped Italian Parsley
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Cups Marinara Sauce
Grated Parmesan, To Serve
Method
Combine the turkey, onion, eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon zest, red pepper flake and parsley in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Roll the meat mixture into 1 1/4-inch meatballs and place on a tray or in a pan. You should have 8 meatballs
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or sauté pan. Place the meatballs in the hot skillet and brown for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Use tongs to gently rotate the meatballs so they brown evenly. (if your pan isn't large enough to brown all of the meatballs without them touching, cook them in batches and place them back on the cookie sheet once they've been browned. Then combine them back in the pan before simmering with the tomato sauce.)
Reduce the heat to medium, add the tomato sauce, and cover the pan. Simmer the meatballs and sauce for another 10 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through.
Marinara sauce - Serves 4
Cup olive oil
1 onion grated
1 bay leaf
4 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 28 oz. Can of san Marzano Italian whole, peeled tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
teaspoon black pepper
teaspoon red pepper flake
1 large basil sprig
Method
Pulse tomatoes in can with a blender or crush by hand for a more coarse and rustic texture
In a medium sized Dutch oven, bring olive oil to medium low heat. Add grated onion and bay leaf and sauté on medium low for 12-15 minutes. Do not let onions brown but only turn translucent and soft!
With 2 minutes to go on onions, add grated garlic and dried basil and oregano.
Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, sugar and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer and place basil leaf on top and cook partially covered for about 20 minutes.
Remove bay leaf and basil sprig prior to serving
Cheesy Garlic Bread - Serves 6
3 head garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
pound unsalted butter at room temperature
4 sprigs fresh basil leaves picked (about 8-10 large leaves)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 loaf ciabatta, split lengthwise
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
12 sliced provolone, or 1 cup grated
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees f. Cut off the top third of the head of garlic heads, exposing the tops of the garlic cloves. Put the garlic heads on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Wrap tightly with foil and roast until the cloves are golden brown and very soft, about 45 minutes.
2. Unwrap the garlic and let stand until cool enough to handle. Pour any garlic-flavored oil from the foil pouch into a small bowl; squeeze the roasted cloves into the same bowl, discarding the papery shells. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, softened butter and an additional salt and pepper and mash with a fork until smooth.
3. Lay the bottom half of the bread on a piece of aluminum foil that is long enough to wrap the bread. Spread on half of the roasted garlic butter mixture and top with half of the parmesan, lay 4-5 basil leaves down, then add layer of provolone slices. Repeat with the remaining bread, garlic mixture, parmesan, basil and provolone. Press the halves together so the fillings are on the inside and wrap with the foil.
4. Bake until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Separate the halves, sprinkle with chopped parsley and cut into 6 pieces.
