Mexican Meatballs

February 26, 2008

This recipe marks a first for me: I used up my cumin! I guess I’ve been doing a lot of cooking. I’m not sure I’ve ever in my life actually used an entire bottle of any spice, other than peppercorns.

My friend Tristen is a superb cook. She made these meatballs for their annual Super Bowl party, and everyone was raving about them. The one significant change I made is I subbed wheat germ for the binder she uses, tortilla crumbs. I think the tortilla crumbs add a wonderful, salty nuance but I knew I would never use them again and didn’t feel like adding them to my already-stuffed pantry. I think the wheat germ, which is so neutral, makes the flavors of lime and cilantro pop a bit more (which makes them very fresh tasting, but more like Lime Meatballs than Mexican). I would also consider adding back in 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes, which are in the original recipe.

We served this over whole wheat spaghetti (’cause my boys like it), but rice would be better.

Mexican Meatballs
Adapted from Tristen’s recipe

olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 lbs. ground turkey or chicken
1/2 c. wheat germ (or 2/3 c. tortilla crumbs)
1/4 c. lime juice (about 3 small limes)
1 tsp. salt (optional)
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 c. cilantro, finely chopped

1 28-oz. can fire-roasted, crushed tomatoes
1/2 c. water

Saute onions in a drizzle of olive oil until softened (use a large skillet with a cover — you’ll use it again later). Combine onions with remaining ingredients up to and including the cilantro. Form into 24 balls.

Brown meatballs in the skillet with an additional drizzle of olive oil. You are just looking for color, not cooking the meatballs through. Then add crushed tomatoes and water, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes.