Lemon Whole Grain Linguine With Turkey Meatballs Recipes

LEMON WHOLE-GRAIN LINGUINE WITH TURKEY MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Add the turkey, breadcrumbs, eggs, onions, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, chopped basil, oregano, garlic, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes to a large bowl and mix with your hands until evenly combined. Form the mixture into 24 meatballs (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each) and place them on the prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced. Spray the meatballs with cooking spray and roast until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes, turning each meatball over about halfway through.
• Meanwhile, add the linguine to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. Strain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.
• Bring the reserved pasta water, cream and oil to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the linguine and toss to combine. Add the lemon juice and meatballs and toss to combine. Add the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/8 teaspoon salt and toss to combine. Adjust seasoning with salt if needed.
• Transfer the linguine and meatballs to four large pasta bowls or a large rimmed platter. Sprinkle with the lemon zest and torn basil.

LINGUINE WITH TURKEY MEATBALLS AND QUICK SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the meatballs, preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 2 minutes. Add the onion and continue to cook until the pancetta is crisp and the onion is tender, about 4 minutes more. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the pancetta-and-onion mixture with the remaining meatball ingredients and stir to combine. Form the turkey mixture into balls about 2 inches in diameter, using about 2 tablespoons for each, and place on a foil-lined and greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, warm the 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, garlic cloves, parsley, salt, and pepper and cook for 10 minutes. Discard the garlic cloves. Add the cooked meatballs and the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Add the reserved pasta water, about 1/4 cup at a time, if the pasta needs moistening. Arrange on a serving platter and top with the basil.

LEMON LINGUINE

Steps:

• Fill just about the biggest pot you have with water and bring to a boil. When friends are coming for lunch, get the water heated to boiling point before they arrive, otherwise you end up nervously hanging around waiting for a watched pot to boil while your supposedly quick lunch gets later and later. Bring the water to the boil, cover and turn off burner.
• I tend to leave the addition of salt until the water comes to a boil a second time. But whichever way you do it, add quite a bit of salt. When the bubbling's encouragingly fierce, put in the pasta. I often put the lid on for a moment or so just to let the pasta get back to the boil, but don't turn your back on it, and give it a good stir with a pasta fork or whatever to avoid even the suspicion of stickiness, once you've removed the lid.
• Then get on with the sauce, making sure you've set your timer for about a minute or so less than the time specified on the package of pasta.
• In a bowl, add the yolks, cream, Parmesan, zest of the whole lemon and juice of half of it, the salt and good grind of pepper, and beat with a fork. You don't want it fluffy, just combined. Taste. If you want it more lemony, then of course add more juice.
• When the timer goes off, taste to judge how near the pasta is to being ready. I recommend that you hover by the stove so you don't miss that point. Don't be too hasty, though. Everyone is so keen to cook their pasta properly al dente that sometimes the pasta is actually not cooked enough. You want absolutely no chalkiness here. And linguine (or at least I find it so) tend not to run over into soggy overcookedness quite as quickly as other long pasta. This makes sense, of course, as the strands of "little tongues" are dense than the flat ribbon shapes.
• Anyway, as soon as the pasta looks ready, remove a cup of the cooking liquid, drain the pasta, and then, off the heat, toss it back in the pot or put it in an efficiently preheated bowl, throw in the butter, and stir and swirl about to make sure the butter's melted and the pasta covered by it all over. Each strand will be only mutely gleaming, as there's not much butter and quite a bit of pasta. If you want to add more, then do; good butter is the best flavoring, best texture, best mood enhancer there is.
• When you're satisfied the pasta's covered with its soft slip of butter, then stir in the egg mixture and turn the pasta well in it, adding some of the cooking liquid if it looks a bit dry (only 2 tablespoons or so - you don't want a wet mess - and only after you think the sauce is incorporated). Sprinkle over the parsley and serve now, now, now.