Recipes for Yom Tov

Meatballs

By Eileen Goltz

The first course of any Yom Tov meal is always cause for debate. My favorite first course, (and a guilty pleasure, if the truth be known) is meatballs. Old fashioned comfort food at its finest, meatballs are the one dish I know everyone in my family will eat meal after Yom Tov meal and still look for leftovers when all dishes are done and the company has gone home.

Everyone has their favorite family meatball recipe. As a child my exposure had been limited to the spaghetti and….. variety. I didn't come to appreciate the savory meatball with gravy/sauce variety and their stick to my ribs deliciousness until I was introduced to my friend's mother-in-law's variety. It was when I was sitting in her Sukkah those many years ago and my youngest son asked me why I never cooked anything this good that I realized I needed to expand my meatball repertoire.

The following recipes have all been taste tested by my family and been deemed share worthy. They all can be made ahead of time and reheated just before serving.

PINEAPPLE MEATBALLS WITH SMOKED KOSHER SAUSAGE (meat)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine egg, onion, 1/3 cup sweet pepper, the bread crumbs, and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce. Add ground beef; mix well. Shape into 1-inch meatballs. Place meatballs in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until done. Drain meatballs. Transfer meatballs to a 31/2- to 5-quart crockery cooker. Add pieces of kosher sausage and 1 cup sweet pepper. In a bowl combine ice cream topping or preserves, vegetable juice, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, the tapioca, and crushed red pepper. Pour over meatballs and sausage pieces; stir gently to coat. Cover and cook on high-heat setting for 2 to 3 hours. Serve immediately or keep warm on low-heat setting up to 2 hours more. Serve with toothpicks.

ZESTY TURKEY MEATBALLS (meat)

For the sauce, in a blender container, combine garlic, ginger, hot pepper sauce, preserves, honey, lemon peel, sesame oil, and vinegar. Cover and blend until smooth. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, combine egg white, sweet pepper, oats, salt, and 1/3 cup of the sauce. Add turkey; mix well. Shape into 1-1/2-inch balls. Arrange meatballs in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Brush with some of the remaining sauce and bake 5 minutes more until golden and glazed. Remove from oven, and drain on absorbent white paper towels. Cook remaining sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until heated through and slightly thickened. Serve sauce over meatballs. Makes 36 meatballs.

PORCUPINE MEATBALLS

Preheat oven to 400. In a mixing bowl combine the hamburger, rice, 1/2 cup water, onion, salt, celery salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Mix well. Shape into balls. Place meatballs in an ungreased baking dish. In a bowl mix together the tomato sauce, 1 cup water, and soy sauce. Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes. This meatball recipe will make 15-20 meatballs.

CHINESE MEATBALLS (meat)
This version reflect my family's love of all food with an Asian flavor

Prepare rice according to package direction; keep warm. Drain canned mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Combine the reserved mushroom liquid, ground beef, bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, garlic and egg; shape into 3/4-inch balls. Brown in oil over medium heat in a medium skillet, reserve drippings. Remove the meatballs and drain on paper towel. Dissolve beef bouillon in hot water; stir in soy sauce and cornstarch; set aside. Add onions, green and red peppers, and celery to skillet with oil; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir bouillon mixture, mushrooms, and meatballs into the vegetable mixture. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Serve over the cooked rice. Makes 6 servings.

HAWAIIAN SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS (meat)

In a bowl combine the ground beef, eggs, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, grated onion, pepper, nutmeg, and salt and garlic powder. Form into 1-inch balls. Heat oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs evenly. Set aside on paper towels to drain. In a large saucepan, combine 4 tablespoons cornstarch, soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, brown sugar and pineapple juice. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add the meatballs, pineapple chunks, sliced onion and green peppers. Cook for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Makes 5 main course servings or 8 to 10 appetizer servings.

SAVORY MEATBALLS WITH SWEET PEPPERS
Bread crumbs create a crispy coating on these veal meatballs.

In a medium bowl, soak bread slices in non dairy milk substitute until soft, about 5 minutes. Squeeze to remove excess moisture and crumble bread back into bowl. Add the cracker crumbs and beaten eggs and mix well. Add the veal, parsley, half the salt and half the pepper and mix gently until thoroughly combined. Shape into mixture into meatballs about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Roll meatballs in the bread crumbs, until evenly coated. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and when hot, but not smoking, add meatballs (do not crowd, may have to cook in batches) and cook until browned on all sides, about 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to paper towels to drain. When meatballs are done, drain fat from pan. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar, capers, remaining salt and remaining pepper. Return meatballs to skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until thoroughly heated and no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 6 main dish servings or 10 appetizer servings.

TEX MEX MEATBALLS IN CHILE SAUCE (meat)

Tear or shred corn tortillas into small pieces and place in a bowl with non dairy milk substitute; let stand for 15 minutes. Add the ground meat, chopped onion, chopped garlic clove, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Shape into 1-inch balls. Heat chili sauce and beef broth to boiling in a skillet; reduce the heat. Add the meatballs. Cover and simmer until done, about 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and caterer, is the author of the new cookbook, Perfectly Pareve.