Turkey Meatballs Alex Guarnaschelli Recipes

BEEF MEATBALLS AND SAUCE WITH RIGATONI

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil.
• Make the sauce: In a large wide, saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are tender, 10 to 15 minutes, and then add the plum tomatoes, sugar, and oregano. Stir to blend and then pour in the canned tomatoes and their juices. Cook, stirring from time to time, until it comes to a simmer, about 5 minutes, to allow the ingredients to meld together. Taste for seasoning. Lower the heat and let the sauce continue to cook as you make the meatballs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Make the meatballs: Put the beef in a large bowl and spread it all over the bottom of the bowl and up the sides a little. This will help you to distribute the seasoning evenly over the meat. Sprinkle the meat with the salt and add the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Use your hands to mix all of the ingredients together. Work in 1 of the eggs with your hands. Roll 1 small ball (about 11/2 to 2 inches in diameter).
• Taste test: In a small skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the canola oil over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, shut off the heat (to avoid splattering), and add the meatball. Put the heat back on high and brown on all sides for a few minutes until cooked but still pink in the middle. Taste for seasoning and texture. If too moist, add more bread crumbs. If too dry, add another beaten egg or a splash of water. Adjust the salt and red pepper flakes, if needed, as well. Roll the remaining meat into 11/2-inch diameter meatballs; you should have about 20.
• Cook the meatballs: Heat a large skillet over high heat and add the remaining canola oil. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, shut off the heat and add the meatballs in a single layer, spreading them apart somewhat so they have a chance to brown instead of steaming. Put the heat back on high and turn the meatballs to brown them on all sides. Cook to medium-rare, 3 to 5 minutes. Squeeze the sides of 2 meatballs between your thumb and index finger to make sure they are still tender in the center. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove them from the pan and transfer them to a tray lined with a kitchen towel to drain any excess grease.
• Cook the pasta: Season the boiling water with salt until it tastes like seawater. Bring the water back up to a boil. Add the pasta to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon to make sure it doesn't clump or stick to the bottom as it cooks, until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
• Serve the meatballs: Meanwhile, once you drop the pasta in the water, add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer over very low heat, 3 to 5 minutes. Shut off the heat and allow the sauce and meat to rest as your pasta finishes cooking. Pour off any excess grease in the skillet used to brown the meatballs, add a ladle of sauce, and warm the pan over low heat. Stir to catch any browned bits of meat in the skillet. After a few minutes, pour that sauce back in with the rest. Stir in a little of the reserved pasta cooking liquid if needed to thin. Transfer the sauce and meatballs to a large bowl and toss in half of the cooked pasta. Add about 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Stir in the remaining pasta. Serve with the remaining cheese in a bowl on the side.

PORK MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Add the meat to a large bowl, spread it out and season with salt, to taste. Add the remaining ingredients leaving the bread crumbs until last. Mix until all the ingredients are combined. Create a small patty and test it in a small saute pan in 1 tablespoon of oil. When browned on both sides, taste and re-season the meat mixture, if needed. Roll the mixture into about 20 to 25 or so balls that are about 2 inches in diameter.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, shut off the heat to avoid splattering, add the meatballs in a single layer and spread them somewhat apart so they have a chance to brown instead of steam. You may need to do this in batches. Brown the meatballs, over high heat, turning them so they brown all around. Treat them like hamburgers and cook them until they are medium-rare, about 3 to 5 minutes. Touch them to make sure they are still tender in the center. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove them from the pan to a tray and cook off the remaining balls, if needed.
• Add the meatballs to the hot tomato sauce and allow them to bubble slightly and simmer over very low heat for a few minutes. Shut off the heat and allow the mixture to rest for a few additional minutes before serving.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, the garlic, red pepper flakes, and sugar and season with salt, to taste. Stir in the carrots and re-season with salt. Cook for about 2 minutes, and then add canned tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to break up some of the whole tomatoes and cook over medium heat, stirring from time to time, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add half of the water to prevent the veggies from getting too dry and continue cooking another 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning. The tomatoes should be fairly broken down and the flavors coming together. Add remaining water, as needed, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. The sauce cooks about as long as it takes to make the meatballs from start to finish, about 45 minutes. Stir in the basil leaves and season with Parmesan.

TURKEY BREAST PICCATA

Steps:

• Fit a sheet tray with paper towels and a rack and set aside.
• Crack the eggs into a bowl. Add a splash of cold water and whisk to blend. In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and cheese. Sprinkle the turkey slices on both sides with salt and dip each thoroughly in the eggs, then thoroughly in the breadcrumbs. Place the turkey cutlets in a single layer on a baking sheet.
• In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the butter begins to froth. Add the turkey in a single layer and cook on the first side until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently turn on its second side and cook until cooked through, an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with tongs to the rack to drain slightly. Repeat with the remaining turkey.
• In the skillet where the turkey was cooked, add the capers, caper brine, lemon zest and juice. Simmer the sauce for 1 minute, stirring to catch all the bits of cooked meat and breadcrumbs. Remove to a bowl and add the parsley leaves, then spoon the sauce over the turkey.