pork & lamb meatballs with lots of lemon, pecorino & parsley
hi friends, lovers, & people probably related to me —
118 — this was supposed to go out last sunday but sometimes life comes at you sideways.
mommy’s little meatball (or daddy’s)
^have you seen those shirts? they crack me up — too good. that is all. these meatballs aren’t your moms or in my case our close family friend mrs. connolly’s recipe. they are brighter, herby and still go well with garlic bread & a tangle of vodka pasta. & as far as i know — no one is going to break up with you after eating them, riffed off of alison roman’s famous goodbye meatballs
ingredients
ground pork — 1/2 a pound
ground lamb — 1/2 a pound
garlic — 4 cloves
yellow onion — 1, finely chopped
parm — 1/4 of a cup, but also measure with your heart
panko — 1/4 of a cup or so
pecorino — the limit does not exist
full fat whole milk ricotta —1/2 a cup save the rest for a lil baked ziti or some lemony whipped ricotta
parsley — 2 bunches (one for the meatballs & one for garnish)
egg — 1
lemons — more than 1 bc, you’re a tart
salt & pepper —
red pepper flakes
olive oil
flaky salt
steps
1st in a large bowl combine the panko, the egg, the parm, the parsley, the onions, the garlic, & the ricotta, season well with red pepper flakes, salt & pepper — let sit for almost 10 minutes, this is where the ricotta hydrates the breadcrumbs which will make for a v. tender meatball
2nd add the pork & the lamb & a little more salt & pepper to the bowl and really get in there to mix it all together (plz use your hands, it feels good & your meatballs will properly mixed). line a sheet pan with parchment and roll out your little army of meatballs. i like to keep these guys fairly small.
3rd in a deep skillet heat a bit of olive oil, and working in batches add the meatballs and cook them until they are brown & crispy on all sides. if i’m still working on the rest of dinner (which lets be honest i probably am) i like to keep the oven @ 200 and pop them in there to stay warm
4th yay, all the meatballs are done! shower them with lots of parsley, pecorino & flaky salt — then drench them in lemon. make sure to serve little lemon wedges on the side incase yours aren’t lemony enough. eat them until you too are also a meatball
particularly good things i consumed recently
unheard witness | jo scott-coe — an honest portrait of a woman in an abusive relationship & a crime that changed a campus, a v. good example of ethical true crime
scott’s birthday / x-mas do over party — a great night in which i didn’t leave the kitchen & there was portillos, which is such a pro party move. love hot dogs hate everything else
i, tonya & fletch — a madcap double feature, which is the perfect way to spend a cozy weekend night in
boys day — in which i followed ryan & sam around to alcala's gemini, independence, midblend, doc martens, & levis — don’t worry we stopped for a snack & capped it off with rotary hot pot an equal parts delicious & overwhelming experience
the holdovers — honestly such a classic movie, equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming —give paul giamatti all the awards
catching up with kristi on a chilly little walk home from the nail salon & in the back of an uber that i took because i needed to bring my cast iron across town—catch up with your faraway friends, it’s really nice & you should do it more often
been doing yoga @ lunch on wednesdays for a lil bit & honestly i think it’s making me a better person
my annual galantines party — there were pitchers of margs, there were tacos (of both the crispy potato & spicy pulled beef variety), chips & salsa & guac, & topo chicos & my little sister molly! love all my friends, love being a girls girl, lets always celebrate female friendship
diego w/ kaitlyn — did we have the best shrimp taco of our lives? the tostada & salsa trio had no misses? did the burrito have french fries in it? yes or yes
chicago maybe baby round 2 — about a year ago i invited 20+ strangers from the internet to my house bc we all read the same newsletter — this year we did it again w/ plenty of focaccia & dips & spreads & natural wine & topo chicos & byo fave snack or sweet treat — grateful for this lil community
cassandra at the wedding — devastating and devastatingly funny, a slim fast-paced time capsule novel, perfect for the train
cellar door w/ for day after valentine’s & also for always — cozy & wonderfully delicious you should go. order everything.
catching up w/ sydney, which was really lovely — while i prepped dinner for sam, ellen & ryan. multi-task mk. the menu. cae sal, lemony broccolini, challah garlic bread (thank you molly baz), orecchiette bolognese & creme brûlée
currently consuming
the bee sting - which i need to tear through otherwise the library is going to be mad at me, the pile of laundry i need to put away & a nice long walk to avoid doing the first two things
as always,
mk
p.s. me again, a lil reminder that i’m running the chicago marathon this fall for the chicago parks foundation bc i love running & love the outside — you can donate here!