Turkey Meatball Mania

Here's why turkey meatballs are Brentwood Diet superstars:

• Great Snacks--When the all-access bag of cut-up veggies doesn't satisfy, nibble on a few turkey meatballs

• Fast Food--Turkey meatballs don't take to long to whip up; and if you have them on hand, all you have to do is microwave them 

• Portable--Turkey meatballs are great to go. Bring 'em to work, school or even when visiting friends. (WARNING: These turkey meatballs proved to be diet lifesavers when friends invited us over for pizza or BBQ in Phase One. But, consider alerting friends that you're bringing them over: some friends will be happy to cook something you can eat, others will be thrilled you're arriving with your own Brentwood-Diet-approved food and a minority may be offended.)

TURKEY MEATBALL RECIPES:

Phase One: Curried Turkey Meatballs:

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ground turkey

• 2 eggs

• 2 teaspoons curry powder or to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans with olive oil. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Form turkey mixture into 1- to 2-inch balls. Put balls onto cookie sheets--about 24 to a sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Check that they don't over cook.

Phase Two: Curried Meatballs with Coconut Curry Sauce:

Make the meatballs using the recipe above. While the meatballs are cooking, create a sauce using a can of coconut milk, 2 cups of chicken broth, a diced onion, a pinch of curry and a pinch of saffron. Reduce mixture until syrupy. Combine meatballs and sauce and serve.

Phase One: Cumin Turkey Meatballs:

Use above phase one recipe, substituting cumin for curry.

Phase One: Mushroom & Onion Turkey Meatballs:

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ground turkey

• 2 eggs

• Handful of dried mushrooms 

• 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence

• One onion

• Chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans with olive oil. Put dried mushrooms in a blender and chop them up on the "puree" or "liquify" settings until powdered and set aside. Puree onion in blender and add to dried mushrooms. Add a little chicken broth to the mushroom and onion mixture to form a paste. Combine with other ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken broth as needed. Form turkey mixture into 1- to 2-inch balls. Put balls onto cookie sheets--about 24 to a sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Check that they don't over cook.

Mushroom & Onion Turkey Meatball Alternatives:

Phase One: With Fresh Mushrooms:

Use about a pound of pureed mushrooms instead of the dried or mix half fresh / half dry. Morels and Chanterelles work well. Cook the mushrooms and the pureed onion in the chicken broth and reduce. You may also use some pureed or finely chopped peppers, too. Cool and combine with other ingredients. You may need to throw in an extra egg, to keep the mixture firm enough to form meatballs. 

Phase Two: Mushroom, Onion & Truffle Turkey Meatballs:

Use the original Mushroom & Onion Meatball recipe. Add a little chopped fresh white or black truffles and/or truffle oil (sometimes available at local farmers' markets). This makes for a moister texture, but adds fat so it takes you into Brentwood-Diet-Phase-Two territory. Want to be super decadent? Add a tablespoon truffle pate to the mix. And make a sauce using a reduction of white wine and chicken broth, maybe with some truffle oil, diced onion and fois gras thrown in. 

*Caveat: Some cooks use precise measurements and get replicable results every time. I'm not one of them. This often falls short of perfection, but it makes for adventure. If you ever find your turkey meatball mixture too moist to create firm, round meatballs: don't despair. Just lightly grease 2 loaf pans or a large lasagna pan with olive oil and make turkey meatloaf.