MILF: Meatball I’d Like to Fork
Now that it’s officially fall let the warm comforting dishes begin! We’re eating a meal of fresh artichoke hearts, herbed turkey meatballs, shitake mushrooms and okra braised with stewed tomatoes and rich beef stock. The dish was served with thick slices of fresh fig-anise bread from Bread & Cie for sopping up all the juices.
A: okay, so i really didn’t mean for this to be a “soup”. it was started as an alternate way to use up the mounds of artichokes in the fridge. (it’s artichoke season here and they are 3 for a dollar at the produce market). In my mind it was going to be braised artichokes and turkey meatballs… which is still pretty much what it was, just kind of like artichoke and meatball soup.
T: I’m glad it was soup… more juice that way! The juice/broth was really tasty too. As were the meatballs and everything else in the… soup. The meatballs were particularly delish. I’m hungry.
A: me too. we should really start having these convo’s right after we eat rather than the next day! i’m starving too! mmm meatball-y, artichoke-y beef and tomato broth-y goodness….
T: yeah. mmm… hunger… must eat. Must eat meatballs. Ok. Focus. I give this meal a rating of 4.59/5. The meatballs were amazing, and what was really amazing is that they were turkey meatballs. Yet they were still moist moist moist.
A: they were braised braised braised in stock stock stock…
T: the artichokes were great too in the soup, although I wonder if it was worth the effort to trim them considering how good artichokes are when they’re eaten leaf-by-leaf. What’s your verdict… was it worth the effort? or, better question, would you do it again?
A: i would definitely do it again. while i really like eating braised whole artichokes leaf-by-leaf, i was ready for a change. we do that so frequently when i get artichokes. it would have been a significantly easier task if i had sharper knives. my knives are dull dull dull and all i can do is hone them. i don’t want to ruin them attempting to sharpen them with no skeeells.
T: awe come on. you have skills. Nun chuck skills, for instance.
A: heheheh 😛 but my nun chuck skills can’t help me sharpen my knives! okay, so i’m gonna rate this little ditty a 4.44/5. i really enjoyed it. it was worth the time and effort, even with dull knives. i will definitely be playing around with artichokes more during artichoke season!
T: I’m glad to hear that, especially if we get to eat plenty of artichokes leaf-by-leaf, like God meant for them to be eaten.
A: i’ve got two in the fridge waiting for just that preparation!
T: sweeet. now let’s go eat something.
For the Meatballs:
1 1/4 lbs ground turkey, (not lean)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 lg clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg
8 dashes worcestershire sauce
The Rest:
3 tbsp canola oil
3 fresh artichokes
juice from one lemon
1 medium onion, sliced
15 shitake mushrooms, stems trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
3 cups beef stock
8 pieces fresh okra, whole
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Put all of the ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl. Gently mix all the ingredients into the ground turkey until just combined. Try not to over-work the meat, too much mixing and fooling around with will lead to tougher meatballs. Place about and 1/8 of a cup of the seasoned meat into your hand. Rolling the meat between both your hands, form into a meatball. Set aside and repeat this process until all of the meat has be formed into meat balls.
Fill a large bowl half way full with water. Add the juice from one lemon to the water. Trim and peel the stem and base of an artichoke. Remove all of the leaves and the choke (the white hairlike inedible part of the inside of the flower), leaving only the artichoke heart. Cut the heart into quarters and place in the lemon water immediately. Repeat this process with the other two artichokes, working individually. The flesh of artichokes will oxidize (turn brown) rapidly unless they are in an acidic environment, so work quickly and keep them immersed in the lemon water until ready to use.
Preheat a dutch oven or other oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil to the pot. Once the oil and pan have heated, brown the meatballs on all sides, working in batches so you don't over-crowd the pan. Remove browned meatballs from the pan. Set aside and reserve.
Reduce the heat beneath the pot to medium. Add the sliced onions to the pot. Saute the onions for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the mushroom halves to the pot and stir. Saute the mushrooms and onions for another five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the minced garlic, oregano, basil, and thyme to the pot. Stir and saute for 1 minute longer.
Deglaze the pot with the balsamic vinegar, making sure to scrape up all the little pieces on the bottom of the pot.
Add the stewed tomatoes and beef stock to the pot. Stir. Raise the heat to high. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Drain the artichoke hearts. Add the reserved meatballs and drained artichoke hearts to the pot. Allow the ingredients to just come to a boil.
Once the pot has reached a boil add the whole okra. Cover the pot with the lid and place the pot into a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake the meatballs and artichokes at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until the artichokes are tender when pierced with a fork and easily slide off. Remove the pot from the oven. Taste the broth and adjust seasonings as necessary with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve hot in a bowl with some crusty artisan bread to sop up all the glorious juices. Enjoy!
Amanda,
will you please make us a pie? also send a slice this way for sampling. thank you.
cheila
ps- nice meatballs.
FORK YEAH!
3/$1?????? Get out. Bring me a grocery sack of em and I’ll give you 10# of grits, real grits, maybe a few can of chipotles, and possibly mayhaw jelly.
thanks cheila! i love it when my balls get compliments. 😉 you know, i love a good challenge…aka suggestion! i will totally hook up a pie post/recipe in the next week or two. you wanna see a sweet or savory pie?
hey matt! i was a total slacker for oh… say, a month or so. to your previous comment – no, we haven’t been to lorna’s or any of your suggestions yet. it seems like we’re stuck in ob! (not a bad place to be stuck) and did i mention poor? we’re both in a wedding in a month and it’s sucking us dry. but for real, we are going to hit them up!
for real bobby. 3/$1 for real. 😀 if they are still that cheap right before we fly out i really will bring you a grocery sack of them! it’ll cost like… oh, 3-4 bucks. you got any of those purple grits? that woudl be a treat to cook up. i’m gonna email you and miz feath to get your numbers (again) and see when we can meet up.
LOL at the post title – It kicked my day off with a smile and I thank you!
I see about the blue corn grits, but it isn’t a regular item, and I have the feeling they aren’t around this year.
And if it is not, then How about brown jasmine? I am thinking about roasting a leg of lamb, a la boulangere, and making like a fig, chestnut, onion goop/compote for it. Hopefully I can still get a few figs, or I could grill the figs, stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in, will I only really have banana leaves, toppped wtih roasted chestnuts, and a wee wee drizzle of banyul vinegar. I’ve had a bottle for maybe a year, and finally tried it, and its pretty tasty.
The local goat cheese lady has been making some delicious “mistakes.”
this title totally award-worthy. i love me some milf.
I am with Leena. That’s hilarious. I was cracking up before I even read the post! Oh, and the overabundance of artichokes? Complete jealousy over here, in chilly chilly Boston.
Bring your knives and I’ll show you how to sharpen them once and for all!!!
I have some bad news. Deer are, or have eaten the blue grits and meal this year. Louie’s wasn’t going to use it this ear, Mr. Bonnecaze needed the space, and I hate to say it, dumped it, husks and all in the woods behind his house. The ate it, including the dirt underneath it. There was a woman who had bever had them, and was asking about them just before me.
The next best thing is this goat cheese, which was suppose to be like a camebert, but did not do something right, and is all goeey and runny, and, well, it is pretty damn good, maybe like sex in your mouth. Not $10 dirty by the minute rent hotel sex, but in a good way.
hilarious post title. i thought i was on the wrong site for a second.
Nun chuck skills? Is that the abilty to throw a nun? I know its spelled correctly, it just looks funny, like beauty parlor
haha…that title made me laugh! 🙂 This sounds really good and filling! I look forward to trying this recipe.
Great recipe! I did not have ground turkey, but I used ground sirloin and followed the rest of the recipe. Turned out great!! Thank you! 🙂
I swapped fresh artichoke with canned due to cost. Meatballs were very moist and delicious with toasted bread. I was also glad to be able to use the Le Creuset in the oven.
Hello! I wandered on your site and browsed some of your amazing recipes and made the MILF soup last night for a dinner party! It was a HIT 🙂
I added a few of my own veggies and angel hair pasta, it was delicious..
Happy Cooking!
Huyen
Mmm, I’d like to SPOON those hotties.
I may give this a try over the weekend. Looks yummy!