Meatballs with turkey and ricotta beg for more
Who doesn’t love meatballs? Who doesn’t need a scrumptious big-batch recipe with built-in leftoversthat freeze well? Almost everyone, I venture, except, respectfully, vegans and vegetarians. Plus these meatballs, which are baked instead of fried, are delicious. They are versatile too, and can be served over pasta or polenta, or spooned into hollowedout rolls for meatball sandwiches.
Turkey meatballs with ricotta from Julia Turshen's latest cookbook, “Small Victories: Recipes, Advice + Hundreds of Ideas for Home-Cooking Triumphs,” were the first dish she ever cooked for the woman who became her wife. She writes:“A small victory here is not only about getting someone to marry you (!) but also about making meatballs that are incredibly light and tender by incorporating a generous amount of ricotta cheesein the mixture.”
Ms. Turshen explains that each recipe in the book introduces a small victory, and it is often more than one. The “victories” include tips such as how to get the seeds out of a pomegranate without making a mess to broader ideas about cooking such as using patience as an ingredient.
In the turkey meatballs, instead of the usual breadcrumbs and egg, ricotta is used as the binder, making the balls lighter and gluten-free.
Other delicious victories include Parmesan soup with tiny pasta and peas, with a base of water or chicken broth and Parmesan rinds, making use of what’s on hand. Julia’s Caesar replaces the rich dressing’s usual raw egg yolk with a spoonful of mayo. For something sweet, Ms. Turshen has concocted coconut ice cream with lime and mango. Instead of hauling out the ice cream maker, which many people probably don’t have, the mixture is frozen in ice cube trays and then whirled in the food processor.
Recipes also have spin-offs, including vegan and vegetarian ones, which are easy variations. So rice milk can be used in the above ice cream and for the Caesar.
The goal of the cookbook is to ensure that everyone you feed is happy. In the process you can become a happier and more confidentcook. Get cooking.