Some months ago, I noticed I had completely lost my taste for beef in any form - not burgers, meatballs, steaks, even thinly sliced roast beef. I do love turkey, probably more than chicken, and I eat a lot of fish, so I don't seem to be missing it, but it is curious.
Now that summer is really here (!), I like to tour my garden patches, picking a few chives here, some rosemary sprigs there, and snipping off some sorrel leaves and turnip greens, celery leaves, and if I have blooming nasturtiums, those will go right in my basket, too. Sometimes they go into a salad, but often they end up in soup or something like these juicy, plump turkey meatballs. Sometimes the meatballs are tiny, but today I wanted big beefy diner-sized meatballs, two or three make the perfect lunch or dinner, nestled in a wedge of iceberg lettuce, just to be authentic - and OH! were they good!
I don't fry them up on high heat, but simmer them on middle heat, covered. They come out tender, juicy, and have enough herby flavor to be tasty, but not overpowering.
How's your weather? We are having thunderstorms and rain every late afternoon or evening and the plants ( and I) love it - no need to haul out the hoses, thanks to Mother Nature!
Ground Turkey Meatballs with chopped herbs
This made about 10 large meatballs.
1 one pound package ground turkey
About 3 loosely packed cups of various herbs and greens: I used:
4 scallions (green onions) trimmed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 piece bread, torn up
1 large egg
1 medium red onion, quartered and sliced into chunks
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme ( which I prefer to fresh)
sliced sorrel leaves, stems are ok to use as well
rosemary sprigs
turnip or other greens, torn (spinach, tender kale, etc can be used, too)
nasturtium leaves and flowers
garlic scapes
radish leaves
celery leaves and some of the stalk, sliced
sprigs of oregano
chives
sea salt and pepper
about 4 T. salsa, divided ( I used Green Mountain Gringo hot salsa)
Place ground turkey in a large bowl.
In food processor add the herbs and greens, the red onion, the scallions , the bread, thyme, and 2 T. of the salsa. Pulse or chop by hand into a coarse mixture.
Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the turkey, and add the sea salt and the raw egg and mix well.
Pour a few tablespoons mild olive oil into a skillet and heat on medium.
Form the turkey mixture into large balls - a little smaller than a tennis ball.
Cook for 10 minutes on medium, covered, then flip the turkey patties over and cook another 5 minutes, covered.
Serve on iceberg wedges or hearty rolls, top with a little more salsa and serve. Now I'm thinking a little goat cheese crumbled on top would be fabulous - next time!
Enjoy!
8 comments:
I love pork in dishes like this:-) Do you?
We have had severe storms and they just keep on coming..
Very very high frizz hair factor humidity wise..gardens love it all:-)Some sun would be fun now..:-) not complaining..
Oh - pork! I love pork! Thinking of pulled pork all day, so I will have to make it - but first buy a crockpot, as that seems to be the way to do it.
Had to laugh - yes! My hair is insane right now!, and yes, I don't have to water the gardens at all because they are bountifully glorious with all this rain! Nope, you're not complaining, and neither am I!
Oh these meatballs looks so delicious - nice change from beef.
We have had a little or a lot of rain nearly every day for most of the spring/summer so far. I'm so grateful for the rain so I don't have to water- given last year's water bill (yikes!!!) - it can keep it up all summer.
It does raise the humidity level so I have the opposite problem - my hair just goes stick straight. Oh well!
Thanks, Barb! All the meatballs have vanished in a day and a half, so they were popular! These will be on the supper-with-the-grands list I have - so many times it's last minute and my brain freezes:)
Ah yes, how soon I forget about last summer! I am grateful for all this rain - except for my hair problem, and yes, it certainly helps with your water bills and our well, which is connected to a year round stream. Last year it nearly dried up, which was a little alarming.
We must be tuned into the same wavelength — I've been just thinking of meatballs and how this rainy weather gives me the chance to make what's usually a cold weather dish now! We've never been big consumers of beef, even less so now, though we do like a ceremonial burger for the 4th!
Oh, loving these meatballs in this rainy weather, Diary! I do prefer the turkey over any beef - it is tender and juicy cooked this way, and the herbs ( especially the sorrel) lend a wonderful zest to the somewhat bland taste of turkey. You even get a few tablespoons of juices to drizzle over the meatballs, yum, yum!
I love how the meatballs are loaded with herbs and greens.
Thanks, Kalyn! That's how I bumped into you so many years ago ! You wrote a lot about herbs , and Farmgirl Susan pointed me to your blog. Yes, I love, love, love using lots of greens and herbs in everything, as you do!
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