Erica De Mane

Meatballs with Goat Cheese Spaghetti, by Kate Muirhead.

Recipe below: Meatballs with Moroccan Spices in a Tomato, Cinnamon, and Mint Sauce

How much ground meat does one freezer need? I seem to have a big collection, lamb and pork from various places, crappy beef from the supermarket, six or seven packages of good stuff from local farms. I’m not sure if it makes me feel more secure or out of control. It does make me feel a bit stupid. In normal times, I’ve always chopped my own meat, either by hand or with a grinder attachment on my food processor. Now I want it pre-ground and frozen, and I want lots of it. I don’t want to eat it so much as I just want to have it. And now I’m sick of looking at it all. It feels like unnecessary slaughter. Or am I taking it too seriously?

So I’ve been making lots of meatballs, all different ways, sometimes reaching back into my meatball-laden childhood, other times venturing off to foreign lands. My mother often made hers with raisins and pine nuts and a touch of cinnamon. That, I would say, was classic Neapolitan, often with a hint of Spanish-Arab. For my newest meatball creation I’ve taken this a step further, coming up with, I suppose, a cross between Moroccan kefta and Southern Italian style. I’ve added pork, definitely not Moroccan, and cheese, also usually not. And I’ve broken out my spices but not overdone it with them. The taste is gentle, a little sweet. The aroma of the things sizzling away in olive oil gave me a nice moment of much needed mind travel. It’s good to get out occasionally.

Meatballs with Moroccan Spices in a Tomato, Cinnamon, and Mint Sauce

(Serves 4 or 5)

For the meatballs:

1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
Extra-virgin olive oil
¾ pound ground chunk
¾ pound ground pork
1 large egg
¾ cup grated grana Padano cheese
5 thyme sprigs, the leaves chopped
A handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
½ teaspoon each cumin, Aleppo pepper, sugar, coriander seed, cinnamon, and allspice
1 slice bread without the crust, soaked in milk
Salt
A splash of dry Marsala

For the sauce:

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 bay leaf, preferably fresh
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
A splash of dry Marsala
1 35-ounce can Italian tomatoes, chopped, with the juice
Salt
A handful of spearmint leaves, torn

To make the meatballs, sauté the shallot and garlic in a little olive oil until just softened, about 2 minutes. Combine all the other meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Add the shallot and garlic and a drizzle of fresh olive oil. Mix it all gently with your hands. Try not to overwork the meat. If it gets too compact, the meatballs may get tough.

I always taste my meatball mix before cooking to make sure it’s well seasoned and it seems right to me. That might not be for you, but I find it really helpful.

Form the mix into meatballs any size you like. I prefer mine about in an inch or so across, but you can make bigger ones. Put them in the refrigerator for about an hour to firm up.

In the meantime, make the sauce. Get out a large skillet, and set it over medium heat. Drizzle in a tablespoon of so of olive oil. When it’s hot, add the shallot, the bay leaf, and the cinnamon, and sauté until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add a splash of Marsala, and let it bubble. Add the tomatoes, season with salt, and cook at a lively bubble for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Get out a large skillet and pour in about ½ inch of olive oil. Get it hot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, and brown them well all over. Do this in batches, if you need to, so you don’t crowd them.

Heat the tomato sauce and drop the meatballs in it. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes, just until they’re cooked through.

Scatter on the mint, and serve hot or warm. These meatballs are especially good with bruschetta, toasted and then rubbed with garlic and brushed with olive oil. I think an escarole salad is a perfect follow-up.