Spirits writer and cocktail expert André Darlington calls meatballs a cocktailer’s kind of food. These beef-and-pork meatballs, featured in Darlington’s new cookbook, “BAR MENU: 100+ Drinking Food Recipes for Cocktail Hour at Home” (Running Press, $28.00), are far from typical.
Darlington makes them holiday party-worthy by adding butter, fennel seeds and fresh bread — no crumbs from a canister here — and whipping up a fresh sauce from squashed plum tomatoes, anchovy paste, chopped walnuts and more. Throw together a Cacio e Pepe Frittata and some Citrus and Fennel Olives, and you have a party plan for the holidays or any day of the week.
Italian Riviera Meatballs
Serves 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
For the meatballs:
1 cup fresh white bread cubes
¼ cup buttermilk
1 medium-size onion, diced
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided use
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
4 large egg yolks
4 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 plum tomatoes, squashed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup finely chopped toasted walnuts
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, soak bread in buttermilk.
In a food processor, process the onion and 1/2 cup parsley.
Place beef, pork, butter, cheese, eggs, 4 minced garlic cloves, salt, oregano and fennel in a large bowl. Add bread crumb and onion mixture; mix with your hands.
Place an oven rack in the highest position and preheat broiler on high. Form meatball mixture into Ping-Pong-size balls and arrange on a baking sheet. Broil meatballs until browned on top, about 7 minutes; switch oven to bake. Bake at 350 degrees another 7 to 10 minutes or until done. Garnish with remaining parsley.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Heat oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic, anchovy paste and red pepper flakes; sauté until garlic softens. Add tomatoes and tomato paste; stir to combine. Add wine, walnuts, salt and black pepper; stir thoroughly. Serve sauce over meatballs.
— From André Darlington’s “BAR MENU: 100+ Drinking Food Recipes for Cocktail Hour at Home (Running Press, $28.00)
