Meatball making made easy by food processor

Press, 29 June 1983, Page 8

Meatball making made easy by food processor

By

ALISON HOLST

I can never understand why a number of people who say they do not like meatloaf will eat meatballs, which are made from an identical or very similar mixture, with enormous pleasure. A food processor makes the preparation of mixtures like this a pleasure, rather than a chore. The chopping and mixing are done really efficiently and quickly, and you don’t even need to get your hands messy. 1 large onion, chopped. Sprig parsley. % teaspoon marjoram. \z teaspoon basil. 1 egg- % cup rolled oats. 2 teaspoons instant beef stock. 1 teaspoon garlic salt. 500 g minced beef Soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce. Put the roughly chopped onion in the food processor with the sprig of parsley and the dried herbs. (Use a sprig each of fresh marjoram and basil to replace the dried herbs if possible.) Process until the onion has been very finely chopped, almost pureed. It it stops being chopped before it gets to this stage, add the egg to make it more liquid, and process again. Add the rolled oats, instant stock and garlic salt, and process again, pushing

any ingredients down the side of the processor bowl if necessary. Drop the minced beef into the processor bowl in four or five “blobs” and process until evenly mixed. If the mixture looks very dry, add up to a tablespoon of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce. If it looks very wet, add more rolled oats. Process again to mix. Turn the food processor bowl and blade upside down on the workbench, and clear all the meat from the blade and bowl with a rubber scraper. With wet hands (to prevent sticking) shape the mixture into about 36 wal-nut-sized balls. If you have difficulty dividing the mixture into even pieces cut the mass of meat in half then quarters with a large knife, then divide each quarter into thirds, then into the thirds again. This is always a good method of producing evenly sized pieces. Once you have half the mixture shaped, start to cook them. It is not a good idea to drop them into the pan as each one is shaped. Heat a large frying pan with a thin film of fat or oil (or non-stick spray). Move the pan backwards and forwards with one hand while you drop the meatballs into it with the other

hand. The balls are less likely to stick to a pan which has been heated and oiled, and which is moving. If the balls keep rolling in the moving pan they are less likely to flatten. Keep the heat high until the balls have browned and firmed up. Cook them 5 to 10 minutes altogether then remove them from the pan and repeat this performance with the rest of the meatballs. You can add sauce to the browned meatballs in the pan, transfer the browned balls to a covered casserole dish in the oven to finish cooking, or refrigerate or freeze them for later reheating. (Frozen meatballs can be dropped into hot sauce when they are required quickly). Browned meatballs can also ’be skewered with bacon or vegetables, brushed with a glaze and browned over a barbecue and served as kebabs. I like meatballs served with an easy, food processor, fresh tomato sauce made by chopping together in a food processor four quartered tomatoes, a small green pepper (optional), Vz teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons cornflour and a few parsley sprigs and basil leaves. Heat this mixture until it boils and thickens, then pour over meatballs.