Tom Kerridge Turkey Meatballs Food

TURKEY MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Heat half the oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for five minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and spices and cook for a further two minutes. Remove from the heat, tip into a bowl and leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, for the salsa, combine the tomatoes, spring onions, avocado, lime and coriander in a bowl. Mix in half the chilli, taste and stir in more chilli if required. Add a drizzle of olive oil and season to taste with pepper, then set aside.
• Once the onion mixture has cooled, add the turkey and coriander and mix thoroughly. Using wet hands, shape the mixture into 16 golf-ball sized balls and then transfer to a baking tray and cover with cling film.
• Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes; this will help the meatballs to firm and will stop them from falling apart during cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Heat the remaining oil in a large, non-stick frying pan and fry the meatballs for 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden-brown on all sides. You may need to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
• Transfer the meatballs to a clean baking tray and cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through. Leave to rest for a few minutes before serving with the salsa, lime wedges and lettuce leaves.

TURKEY MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the peeled onion and celery into a processor and blitz to a mush. Or you can chop as finely as humanly possible by hand. Reserve 2 tablespoons for the meatball mixture.
• Warm the garlic flavoured oil in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, add the onion and celery mixture, along with the thyme, and cook at moderate to low heat, stirring every now and again, for about 10 minutes.
• Add the cans of tomato, filling up each empty can with water to add to the pan. Season with the sugar, salt and pepper, stir and then leave to come to a bubble, and then turn down to let it simmer gently while you get on with the meatballs.
• Put all the ingredients for the meatballs, including the reserved chopped onion and celery, and salt according to preference, into a large bowl and mix together, gently, with your hands, wearing disposable vinyl gloves if you feel so inclined. Don't over-mix, as that will make the meatballs dense-textured and heavy.
• When all the meatball ingredients are not too officiously amalgamated, start rolling. The easiest way really to do this is to pinch out an amount about the size of a generously heaped teaspoon and roll into a bowl between the palms of your hands. Put the meatballs on a baking tray, lined with baking parchment or greaseproof paper, as you go. You should get about 50 little meatballs.
• Drop these gently into the simmering sauce; I try and let these fall in concentric circles working around the pan from the outside edge inwards, in only the vaguest of fashions.
• Let the meatballs cook for 30 minutes, until cooked through. Serve with rice or pasta or however you so please.