A long time ago, I made up the decision to give up eating beef and, consequently, I didn’t eat meatballs for many years. About a year ago, I saw a woman in an Italian restaurant eating spaghetti and meatballs and seeming to enjoy every bite, and I realized how much I missed eating them.  It then occurred to me that meatballs, like burgers, could certainly be made without beef.

I began a search for authentic meatball recipes, and I found one that used buttermilk, an ingredient that I don’t often use, but the author of the recipe claimed to have tried several different recipes and suggested this method above all others so I decided to give it a try.   I chose to substitute the ground beef with ground turkey and hot Italian sausage meat, and the result was even more delicious than any meatball I remember from my years of eating beef.  The recipe would work just as well with ground pork, lamb, chicken, beef, or veal any combination you prefer.

The reason I love this meatball recipe is it produces very moist and tender meatballs, despite the fact that I use turkey, which is leaner than beef, and therefore has a tendency to dry out. The Parmesan, parsley, and garlic add wonderful flavor.  I often don’t mention that the meatballs are made without beef to my guests until the have already tried them, and most admit that they would not have been able to tell the difference, or even that they like them better.  Try them out and you can be the judge.  Here’s how they are made:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey meat
• 3 hot Italian sausages, removed from its casing
• 1 egg
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 3 slices of white or Italian bread
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 lb. (standard package) dried semolina spaghetti
• 4 cups prepared simple tomato fennel sauce (see previous post)

Begin by soaking the slices of bread in the buttermilk until the bread becomes soft enough to smash into a mush with a fork, about 1/2 hour.  In a large bowl, mix the meat, egg, garlic, parsley, cheese, salt and pepper, and bread mixture until thoroughly combined.  Do not be afraid to use your hands to mix.

To form the meatballs, use a tablespoon and scoop heaping spoonfuls of the meat mixture into your palm.  Gently roll into a ball, taking care not to over work the meatball, and place on a cookie sheet.  Try to form the meatballs to be uniform in size.

Once all the the meatballs are prepared, heat a large, heavy bottom pan, such as a dutch oven, over medium high heat and add about two tablespoons of olive oil.  Place one layer of meatballs in the pan, being careful not to overcrowd them.  Do not try to turn the meatballs until they are brown on the first side, and then turn them to cook on the other side.  Once the meatballs are browned on all sides, remove from the heat.  At this time, cook the remaining meatballs in the same way.

Once all of the meatballs are browned on all sides, add the sauce to the pan (see previous post for recipe).  Stir to work all of the browned bits into the sauce, and reduce the heat to low.  Add the meatballs back into the sauce, making sure they are fully submerged.  Let them finish cooking in the sauce, for at least another twenty minutes or so.

Pour the sauce and meatballs over spaghetti, garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese and serve.

Serves six people. Enjoy!

The Italians call this dish linguine con vongole, which simply means linguine with clams.  The traditional preparation is often prepared with the option of a tomato based red sauce or a wine based white sauce.  In this preparation, we have combined the two, using wine and chicken stock as the base for the sauce, but including fresh tomatoes to add color and acidity.

I was introduced to this dish at an early age, as it is perhaps my mother’s most favorite dish to cook and eat.  I would find myself drawn to the kitchen with smells of garlic, wine, and fresh seafood at least twice a month.  Although it was such a staple in my household, I never tired of the dish, which I attribute to the fact that each “batch”, as my mother called it, varied in it’s outcome.  The best “batches”were always the ones made with the most fresh little neck or manila clams, and contained just the right balance of pork, which could include chorizo or linguisa sausage or bacon.

I like to served the dish in large shallow bowls with plenty of fresh sourdough to dip in the sauce.  A caeser salad makes a great accompaniment to this dish as well.  Do not be afraid to make more than necessary, as this dish is often even better the next day.  Just remove the shells from the clams and cover prior to refrigerating.  Here’s how we make it happen:

• 1/2 large sweet onion – diced
• 4 garlic cloves – roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped Crimini mushrooms
• 1 cup fresh ripe tomatoes – roughly chopped
• 1 lb. Chorizo, Linguisa sausage or bacon
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 2 cups chicken broth, heated
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
• 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano
• 3 Tbsp. butter

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. good dry (or fresh) linguine pasta
• Salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Set the pasta water to boil prior to beginning the sauce.  By the time your water is boiling and your pasta is cooked al dente, according to the directions on the box, your sauce will be done.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat.  Add the butter and olive oil and wait until the butter bubbles.  Add the onion and cook it until it begins to soften, then add the sausage (removing any casing) and cook it until it browns.  Add salt and red pepper to taste, but take care to not over spice.  Next add the mushrooms, garlic, oregano, and thyme, and stir to combine.  Cook until all of the vegetables soften.

Add the tomatoes and wine, and allow the wine to reduce for about three minutes on high heat.  Add the heated chicken stock and allow the stock to reduce by half.  At this point, there should be enough liquid to cook the clams, but if there is not, freely add more chicken stock as necessary.

Add clams to the broth.  The clams should be soaked and scrubbed clean so they will not add sandy grit to your dish.  Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low, and allow the clams enough time to open.  Check intermittently and stir.  Once all or almost all of the clams are open, add the cooked pasta directly to pan and stir into the sauce.  If one or two clams are not open, discard them as they are not safe to eat.  Finish the pasta with the fresh parsley and sprinkle with parmesan cheese (optional).  Serves four to six people.