CHEF’S DISH MELDS FLAVORS, CULTURES

Marcus Samuelsson – chef, author and restaurateur – knows good meatballs.

In fact, it was one of the first dishes he learned to make. Samuelsson, who was born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden, first trained in the kitchen with family.

“My grandmother taught me how to cook, and the first thing she taught me was meat(balls),” Samuelsson tells USA TODAY.

Now he has created a meatball recipe of his own inspired by his grandmother’s recipe. It’s packed with flavor thanks to cumin and berbere (an Ethiopian spice blend of chiles, cinnamon and fenugreek, among others) and served with sweet-and-savory Brussels sprouts.

“I feel like when you cook for your holidays – when I cook for my family for for the holidays – you want to channel your family,” Samuelsson says.