Linguine with Turkey Meatballs and Quick Sauce

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

Autumn is officially in full swing at my house, comfort food and all. I have been pouring over seasonal cookbooks and magazines in search of soup, pasta and one-pot recipes that exude warmth. The recipe that excited me the most is a Turkey Meatball recipe from one of my favorite Italian cookbooks by Giada De Laurentiis. I am not a stranger to preparing meatballs but it has been years since I have done so. I have also never made them with turkey so this was an obvious choice for my next culinary experiment. The recipe follows:

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 oz pancetta, finely diced

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

1 lb ground turkey, preferably dark meat

1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 lb linguine

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 (28-oz) can whole San Marzano tomatoes, drained and cut into pieces with kitchen scissors

2 whole garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh basil

To make meatballs, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat olive oil in medium to heavy duty skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook for 2 minutes. Add onion and continue to cook until pancetta is crisp and onion is tender, about 4 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool.

In large bowl, combine pancetta and onion mixture with remaining meatball ingredients and stir to combine.

Form turkey mixture into balls about 2 inches in diameter, using about 2 tablespoons for each, and place on foil-lined and greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.

Bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, warm 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add tomatoes, garlic cloves, parsley, salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes. Discard garlic cloves. Add cooked meatballs and cooked pasta and toss to coat. Add reserved pasta water, about 1/4 cup at a time, if pasta needs moistening. Arrange on serving platter and top with basil.

Okay, all I have to say about this one is YUM! We loved this recipe. I am not particularly fond of sun dried tomatoes but I found an application in which they work for me. The saltiness of pancetta paired beautifully with the sweetness of the sun dried tomatoes. I also went out on a limb and purchased natural turkey that is ground on premises by Metropolitan Market. I usually choose ground turkey breast but this recipe recommended darker meat. I decided to go with it and boy, I could taste a difference. Darker turkey meat is richer than white meat (I'm sure this is caused by the extra fat content) and the flavor is more intense. I am not converted to regular ground turkey for every occasion but I will definitely return to it when I prepare turkey meatballs.

I think my favorite part of this dish is the Marzano tomatoes. They have such a sweet quality but there is still something savory about the flavor. Combined with garlic, olive oil and fresh parsley, they were absolutely delicious. I give this recipe double thumbs up but be warned that it could feed an army. We are going to eat it tomorrow for dinner and as a matter of fact, we may have two friends come over to help us finish it off. If you are having a medium to large group over for dinner, this is the perfect dish to serve. Make a dinner salad, this linguine dish, open a bottle of Malbec (I am speaking from experience...... I am still sipping on my glass of Columbia Winery wine club Malbec as I write) and you will have a perfect dinner party. Oh, and please remember to invite me if you decide to prepare this dish. I will be there with bells on my toes.

Recipe Source:

"Everyday Pasta" by Giada De Laurentiis

Pages 177-178