Great balls of fl avour
There are infi nite variations on the classics when it comes to meatballs
There may indeed be a chef somewhere who has improved the lowly, unassuming meatball by adding all kinds of fancy embellishments. But if there is, then I’ve not met one, probably because few other meaty morsels offer as much gastronomic variation as this worldwide favourite that’s ohsosatisfying, yet oh- so- easy to make.
The trick is to keep the meatball simple and you can hardly mess up. The evidence proves it, bite after bite.
Whether they’re fried with feta in Albania, steamed or boiled in China, or simmered in creamy sauce with lingonberry in Sweden, when it comes to meatballs the possibilities are limitless. Greek, Brazilian, maybe Tex- Mex with chili peppers would fly too. Vegetarian meatballs made with lentils are possible, even if that would be a misnomer.
Make them with rice, pig trimmings, offal, bovine, bunny bits, fish, leftover lamb or poultry — is there anything you cannot mix with breadcrumbs and egg? No, likely not.
Which was exactly my thought as I tucked into more than a couple of variations of these spherical comforts from the 2011 manifesto The Meatball Shop Cookbook by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow, two lifelong friends who opened a modest 50- seat restaurant by the same name in Lower Manhattan.
This is the only meatball cookbook you will ever need, presenting such gastronomic gems as bouillabaisse balls, fightin’ Irish balls, salmon balls, jambalaya balls, to say nothing of the usual suspects involving ground chicken, beef and pork ( and interesting sides to go with them).
“When we first opened I was a little nervous,” Holzman says in a phone interview.
“But meatballs are universally loved. Everybody has a childhood memory of them, and meatballs lend themselves to creating inexpensive and delicious meals. Here you can take meat and add other flavourings to make it even more delicious.”
Since opening in the East Village, Holzman and Chernow have launched two more temples to meatball mania, one on Greenwich Avenue in West Village, and another across the East River in Brooklyn. More than 5,000 meatballs are served daily at the three locations.
At its first location, paying customers range from 600 on a slow day to 1,000 when the place is hopping.
They’ve fed such Hollywood luminaries as Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and have appeared on numerous network TV shows. They’ve schooled an audience of millions with icons Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray.
How does a classically trained chef from the Culinary Institute of America, who has cooked in some of the swankiest U. S. kitchens, find nirvana serving balls and side dishes at a neighbourhood eatery where customers are expected to jot their orders with a Sharpie on a plastic menu?
It all comes down to creativity, Holzman says.
His slow- cooked, simple white bean dish with onion, carrot, celery and garlic is magnificent in its subtlety. Mashed potatoes are made ridiculously rich with lots of butter and a generous splash of heavy cream, oh my. Simple roasting with hot cherry peppers brings out the caramelized goodness of cauliflower florets. Braised kale is kicked up a notch with anchovies and garlic.
Among seasonal favourites is the perennial bunny meatball at Easter. Last month, they introduced “jingle balls” with reindeer ( actually, venison) meat. How cute is that?
I was especially taken with recipes for simple classics torqued just a little to elevate them to culinary stardom. There’s a reason why, for example, Mini Buffalo Chicken Balls were voted the readers’ favourite by Bon Appétit online in December.
The Classic Beef Meatball is another runaway success at the restaurant. Be certain to make the sauce yourself using the best canned Italian plum tomatoes you can find. At home I like to add two anchovy fillets, a half cup of sweet marsala wine and a finely diced halfcarrot to create a little deeper flavour profile.
In this case, the secret ingredient in the meat mix is ricotta cheese, of all things, which adds fat and texture while paradoxically making the meatball lighter. I served the beef balls on a toasted sausage bun slathered with homemade tomato sauce, then sliced provolone cheese before finishing in the oven. It was sublime.