Braised Meatballs With Artichokes And Fennel Recipes

BRAISED MEATBALLS WITH ARTICHOKES AND FENNEL

Steps:

• 1. Mix the ground meat, egg white, bread crumbs, shallots, oregano, dill, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper in a medium bowl until uniform-that is, until the spices are spread evenly throughout; the bread crumbs, too; and the egg white is no longer visible as a scummy film. Form this mixture into 12 golf balls.
• 2. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, spread the flour on a plate. Swirl the oil into the pot, then roll half the balls in the flour. Put them in the pot and brown on all sides. (OK, geometry teachers, balls don't have sides. But you know what I mean.) About 7 minutes will do it. Transfer them to a plate and repeat with the remaining balls.
• 3. Dump the onion, fennel, tomato, and artichokes into the pot. Stir over the heat until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.
• 4. Pour in the broth; stir in the tomato paste, lemon juice, cinnamon, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. As the mixture begins to simmer, make sure you scrape up any browned bits in the pot. Then tuck the meatballs into the simmering sauce and pour any juices on their plate over everything. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly for 1 hour.

ROASTED FENNEL AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange fennel and artichokes on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until caramelized on both sides, about 35 minutes, tossing after 20 minutes.
• Drizzle with remaining oil and the lemon juice. Add parsley, and toss to combine. Garnish with fennel fronds.

VEAL MEATBALLS WITH BRAISED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Heat 1/2 cup broth until warm, then add matzo meal and soak 10 minutes.
• While matzo soaks, chop enough olives to measure 1/3 cup, then quarter remainder and set aside. Pulse soaked matzo and chopped olives in a food processor along with garlic, egg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until olives and garlic are finely chopped and egg is incorporated. Add 1/4 cup parsley and pulse until parsley is finely chopped.
• Transfer matzo mixture to a bowl and add veal, mixing gently with your hands until combined. Chill, covered, 30 minutes.
• Preheat broiler. Line a 15- by 10-inch shallow baking pan or baking sheet with foil, and brush foil with oil. Using wet hands, form veal mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls, arranging in 1 layer as formed in baking pan.
• Broil meatballs 4 to 6 inches from heat, turning once with a spatula and tongs, until browned, about 10 minutes total.
• While meatballs are broiling, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet (2 to 3 inches deep) over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown fennel in 2 batches, turning occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate, then brown carrots in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in skillet, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Return fennel to skillet and add meatballs, remaining 2 cups chicken broth, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Whisk together water and potato starch in a small bowl. Stir into meatball mixture and boil, uncovered, until sauce is thickened slightly, about 2 minutes (sauce will continue to thicken off the heat). Remove from heat and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and quartered olives. Season with salt.

BRAISED FENNEL AND ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large, straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and chile and cook until garlic is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add fennel, artichokes, lemon peel, thyme, and wine to skillet; stir to combine. Bring to mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fennel is tender, about 25 minutes. It may be necessary to add water if liquid evaporates too quickly.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer solids to a bowl; set aside. Increase heat to high and reduce liquid by half. Pour reduced liquid over the fennel and artichoke mixture. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

PORCINI-BRAISED BOAR WITH ARTICHOKE AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Soak beans in ample cold water overnight.
• Drain cannellini beans and pour into a large Dutch oven along with chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, skimming any foam that forms. Remove boar from the refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature during this time.
• Heat 1/4-cup olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until it begins to smoke. Add boar pieces, and sear until browned on all sides. Remove seared boar, and place into the pot, on top of the gently simmering beans. Heat the skillet until smoking once again, then stir in porcini mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes to soften. Add 1/4 cup garlic and continue cooking until the garlic has turned golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary and cook for 30 seconds more before adding the mushrooms to the boar and beans.
• Cover, and continue simmering the boar and beans until both are tender, adding additional water if needed, about 1 1/2 hours. Once ready, season lightly to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
• When the beans are nearly ready, place the artichoke hearts into a large skillet with some water. Cover, and steam over high heat until just tender, about 2 minutes; then add the sliced fennel, and steam for 1 minute more. Drain in a colander, and return skillet to the stove.
• Reduce heat to medium-high and pour in 1/4 cup of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of minced garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic turns golden, then sprinkle with red pepper flakes and add the drained vegetables. Stir and cook until the vegetables are tender and golden, about 2 minutes. Pour in white wine, cook until nearly evaporated, then season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• To serve, mound vegetables into the center of a large platter and place the pieces of boar on top. Spoon the beans around the vegetables, drizzle liberally with extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with pecorino Toscano cheese, parsley, and strands of lemon zest.

CRISPY ARTICHOKE MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the top third and the stem off each artichoke. Snap off the outer leaves and with a small, sharp knife, trim the tough green skin from around each artichoke. Rub the artichokes all over with the lemon halves.
• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the artichokes and simmer until tender when pierced through the bottom, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool. With a spoon, scoop out the hairy chokes. Roughly chop the artichokes, then put them in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. You should have about 3 cups.
• In a large bowl, mix the artichokes with the beef, scallions, parsley, bread crumbs, Gruyère, capers, tabil, pepper, cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add 3 tablespoons of the paprika and the eggs and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined.
• Form the meat mixture into 3 dozen tablespoon-size meatballs. Form each ball into a football shape, then dredge in flour.
• In a large skillet, heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil until shimmering. Working in 2 batches, fry the meatballs over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until deep brown, about 12 minutes; reduce the heat if the meatballs start browning too quickly. Transfer the meatballs to paper towels to drain; keep warm.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of paprika and cook over low heat until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the tomatoes and their liquid and simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Season with salt. Spoon the sauce onto a large platter. Set the meatballs on the sauce and serve.