Good morning! Today we have for you:
Anyway, here’s wonderballThere’s a reason meatballs are so beloved across cultures and cuisines: They’re one of the ultimate culinary shape-shifters, able to work with so many flavor combinations and different types of meat. No matter if you make them from lamb or chicken or beef, or mix them with Ritz crackers or zucchini or grape jelly, meatballs always bring comfort in every brawny bite. In our latest installment of Cooking 101, Sue Li walks us through all things meatballs, and her Italian-American style version is a master class in achieving an ethereal, almost fluffy texture. The key is adding a little ricotta to the mix. It keeps the meatballs delicate and tender, while Pecorino Romano adds just the right amount of sharp, funky depth. Click here or on the image below to watch Sue make her meatballs:
Unlike other meatballs, these hold their nice round shape in the pan, instead of forming those odd, angular edges common in other recipes. And rather than drowning them in a heavy marinara, Sue uses tomato passata to create a lighter sauce in which the meatballs really shine. They may not surpass your Nonna’s version, but they are sure to come close.
Featured Recipe Classic Italian American MeatballsMore food for thoughtChicken meatballs with yogurt sauce: Unless they’re thoroughly seasoned, meatballs made from ground chicken run the risk of tasting bland. Not so with Sue’s excellent recipe, in which the chicken is flavored with warm spices like paprika, cumin and coriander along with a bracing mix of fresh parsley, mint and cilantro. Serve these meatballs on a bed of yogurt for creaminess and tang. Lion’s head meatballs: Also from Sue, these traditional Chinese meatballs get their name from their impressive size and the cabbage “mane” they nestle into while cooking. Ground pork seasoned with ginger and scallion forms the base, while silken tofu folded into the mixture creates an exceptionally juicy interior with a delightfully springy bite. The meatballs simmer gently with cabbage leaves, infusing the broth with flavor. Ladle everything into bowls — meatballs, tender cabbage and savory broth — and serve with plenty of steamed rice alongside. Sheet-pan sausage meatballs with tomatoes and broccoli: Rolling bulk sausage meat into meatballs is an excellent hack, eliminating the need to add any seasoning. Yasmin Fahr then roasts these meatballs alongside broccoli, tomatoes and mushrooms on a single sheet pan. Halfway through cooking, she adds a generous layer of Parmesan to create two distinct textures: the melted, gooey cheese that clings to the roasted vegetables, and the crispy, frico-like bits where the cheese hits the hot pan directly. Radicchio salad with walnuts and pears: Meatballs need a counterpoint, and David Tanis’s bitter greens salad is just the thing. Purple-hued radicchio, Belgian endive, frisée, escarole — use one or mix them all for a salad with gusto. The slight bitterness is perfectly offset by sweet pears and candied walnuts, creating the kind of salad that’s especially welcome as the weather cools. Toasted almond snowballs: Meatball eating does not usually extend to dessert, but these spherical almond cookies are at least a visual approximation. Brown butter gives them caramelized notes while their coating of powdered sugar melts in the mouth. They’re sort of like actual snowballs, but far more delicious. That’s all for now, except to remind you that if you hit any technical snafus, you can send an email to cookingcare@nytimes.com. And as always, I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hello. I’ll see you on Monday. For a limited time, you can enjoy free access to the recipes in this newsletter in our app. Download it on your iOS or Android device and create a free account to get started.
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