What do you do with tons of fresh rosemary and a recipe for rosemary meatballs ? That’s right. Always meatballs. In my hierarchy of superfood (and I have my very own definition of ‘superfood’), meatballs come first.
I’m not even that big a fan of rosemary, but when something needs to be used up, I’m going to shut up and take it. Don’t even ask why I have tons of rosemary if I don’t theoretically like it. As it often happens, I was more than pleasantly surprised with this recipe: the flavor and texture of rosemary shifts after it cooks, into a more subtle taste that suited my tastebuds much better. I served these marble-size meatballs as an appetizer, but make them bigger and serve them as a main dish and you won’t be sorry.
PS. This is my hundredth post! Yay to blogging!
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Rosemary meatballs
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20-30 minutes
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ lb lean ground beef
- 2 slices toasted white bread, crumbled
- 6 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked
- 2 eggs
- 1 large white onion
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, halved
- salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Peel and halve the onion. Process in a food processor with the rosemary leaves, until finely chopped. Add to the bowl the beef, the bread, the eggs, salt and pepper, and process until well-combined.
2. Shape meat into marble-size meatballs by rolling between flat hands.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add meatballs, leaving ½ inch between each meatballs so they don’t stick to one another. Sear for about 5 minutes, lightly shaking the skillet regularly so the meatballs are brown on all sides. Lower heat and cover, cook for about 10 minutes, until cooked through. Serve immediately or let cool and keep refrigerated.
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My tips:
- The measurements are easily halved.
- Depending on the size of your food processor, you may have to prepare the meat in two batches (just halve the measurements.) In the same way, if you don’t have a large enough skillet to cook all the meatballs without overcrowding, cook them in several batches. Be sure to add olive oil again before each new batch (a bit less after the first time.) Prep time and cooking time will depend on the size of your kitchen equipment.
- I used twice-baked bread instead of toast, but substitute breadcrumbs or plain bread if you want.
- These meatballs work great at room temperature in the summer, served with a light tzatziki or tomato sauce.
Source: Vie Pratique – Gourmand, August 2012.
