Polpettone di Tachino: Mario Batali's Big Turkey Meatballs

Turkey Meatballs (Polpettone di Tachino)

 This recipe comes from an amazing cookbook from a "celebrity" chef who is the real deal: Mario Batali. Every Christmas my sweet husband picks out a cookbook that has some special meaning to us and gives it to me as a gift. For extra fun: This particular book was given to me Christmas 2007 (just a week before he proposed!) and was hidden in an L.L. Bean backpacking backpack that I had wanted. 

The special meaning? Well first: it's Italian. We both love Italian food and spent some quality time in the North End when we lived in Boston. (Shout out to Giacomo's and Assagio's - two personal favorites! Oh and cannolis at Modern Pastry! My mouth is watering now....) Second: Chris has these awesomely hideous orange Crocs that he uses when we go camping and every time he cooks in the kitchen, which is quite often!*

Merry Christmas to me Cookbook!

People. If you haven't had these meatballs, you must. They are easy and insanely tasty.

I think the "magic" is that this isn't just ground turkey with seasoning. It's ground turkey with prosciutto (have you noticed I cook with prosciutto a lot? There's a reason!) and pecorino and parmesan and sweet italian sausage (no casings - easy to find at the grocery store!), fresh parsley and  a touch of nutmeg. Uh-mazing.

The recipe below includes a recipe for sauce. I used jarred sauce (don't tell Mario!) but think his homemade probably can't be beat.

 

Here is the recipe on The Food Network website: Frickin' Good Meatballs.

Brown on all sides!

Make big meatballs, pack 'em up, chill them for an hour in the fridge and brown them over medium/high heat. Add the sauce and 1/2 cup of white wine (yes you read that right: white) and simmer for 30 minutes to cook through. (Note: this is somewhat paraphrased, be sure to follow the recipe in the link.)

 

Oh yah

 Serve with a glass of your favorite red or white (!) or water, covered in a pile of fresh cheese and with some crusty Italian bread or pasta. 

There is a recipe for cannoli in this book which I must try. I've had good cannoli down here but it's harder to come by. Plus it's a good excuse to mess up the kitchen!

*If you don't know it, Mario Batali wears signature orange shoes (and I do believe they are Crocs). And yes, Chris cooks a LOT and I'm happy to say he is quite good at it!