Recipe: Turkey Meatballs/Meatloaf

As many of you know, I have a 14 month old daughter.  She's a sweet little thing...see???

She started out being a very good eater--would eat pretty much any food we put on a spoon.  Once she started with finger foods and developed a mind of her own, however, she decided she only wanted to eat what she thinks she likes and won't put anything else in her mouth (even if it's something we know she likes).

One of the few go-to protein items that she'll usually eat without complaint is meatballs and meatloaf.  I typically make it from ground turkey because it's relatively inexpensive and the flavor is milder and texture tends to be softer, though she'll eat beef also.  We were sending mini meatballs and slices of meatloaf into daycare with her and the teachers started asking me for the recipe.  Since I typically wing it, I had to actually measure things out and write-down a real recipe.  Here it is to share with all of you as well.

Turkey Meatballs/Meatloaf

Dark meat ground turkey is made from turkey thigh meat.  It tends to have a little more fat content and will result in a moister, meatier meatball.  This recipe makes fairly soft meatballs.

2 pounds Dark Meat Ground Turkey
3 pieces white bread, day-old is okay
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1) Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

2) Warm the milk slightly in the microwave.  Tear or crumble the bread into small pieces and soak in the warm milk until soft.  Once soft, break it up further with a fork or a whisk.

3) Add the salt, oregano, garlic, and egg to the bread mixture.  Mix well with a fork or your fingers.

4) Add the meat to the bread mixture.  Using your hands, mix all the ingredients together well without working the meat too much or it will make the meatballs tough.

For Meatballs:

1) This recipe makes very soft meatballs.  If you plan to add your meatballs to an all-day cooked tomato sauce, you may wish to add 1/2 cup or more of plain breadcrumbs to the mixture to firm it up.  Some store-bought breadcrumbs have added salt, so you may wish to omit the salt in the recipe.

2) Form each meatball no more than golf-ball size.  Place meatballs sides-touching in a baking dish.  If the mixture is soft, you won't be able to make perfectly round balls.  This is okay.  Rinse your hands with water if the meat starts to stick.

3) Bake meatballs 15-20 minutes until cooked through and starting to brown on top.  Pour off any excess liquid or grease and allow to cool slightly.  Meatballs may be frozen in a large zip-top.

For Meatloaf:

1) Pack meat gently into the bottom of a standard loaf pan.  Smooth out the top.

2) Invert the loaf pan onto a sheet-pan lined with parchment or aluminum foil.  Tap slightly to dislodge the meat if necessary.  Remove the loaf pan to reveal a perfectly-formed loaf.

3) Place the meatloaf on the sheet pan into the oven and bake until cooked through and browned.  An instant read thermometer should read 160-180 degrees.  If you like, smear the top and sides of the loaf with ketchup or red sauce partway through cooking.  This will give it a sweet crust.

Hello, Again! ...and Meat Pie

Why, hello there!  I've been a bit derelict in my duties as a blogger as of late.  To you, I apologize...  I had such good intentions but the holidays being what they are and my "regular job" being what it is, I just couldn't squeeze in the time.  That said, I have a great post for today...  Tourtiere!  Otherwise known as French Meat Pie.

I think I've mentioned before that my family (on both sides) is mostly of French-Canadian ancestry.  Migrating from Canada, through Maine and New York during the Industrial Revolution, they settled in the areas surrounding Woonsocket, Rhode Island in the Blackstone Valley to work in the various woolen mills.  That was back when immigrant folks stuck together and the Woonsocket area seemed as French as Quebec herself.

Today, the city still remembers its French Canadian roots with signs as you enter the city that welcome you with, "Bienvenue!", The Museum of Work and Culture, and the American-French Genealogical Society.

So what does all this have to do with Meat Pie?  Well, it's tradition amongst Canadian-French folk to make Tourtiere (pronounced "Tor-tee-ear") around Christmastime and for New Year's Eve to celebrate the season and ring in the new year (usually served as part of a very late night party after Midnight mass and involving lots of festive beverages, but I digress).  The dish, like many ground meat dishes of that time, was born of frugality but often contained spices that would have been saved for special times like the holidays.  Like the American Meatloaf, every family has its own recipe for Tourtiere and each one is as different as the next.

I thought I'd share with you my favorite recipe for Tourtiere.  This one is an adaptation of one that was given to me by a wonderful woman by the name of Claire who lives in the still quite French village of Manville, Rhode Island.  The original recipe had many of those imprecise instructions that are characteristic of recipes from that era, so I've updated it a bit for the modern home cook (complete with measurements for the seasonings, which you were just supposed to know by taste, I guess).  I hope you enjoy it!

Tourtiere
(aka French-Canadian Meat Pie or "Pork Pie")

Important Note: The original recipe calls for "3 to 4 Uneeda Biscuits" as a thickener and they were the secret weapon of this particular recipe.  Uneedas are a very old-fashioned thick, dry unsalted cracker that were discontinued a couple of years ago by Kraft Foods when they needed to streamline their product line.  Their closest cousin, the Crown Pilot Chowder Cracker, was given the boot as well.  I've searched high and low and the closest match I've found thus far is a hefty cracker made by Goya.  If you can find those, use them but reduce the salt.  Otherwise, about a half sleeve of unsalted Saltines will do the trick.  The recipe makes 2 pies but may be halved.


2 two-crust pie shells (4 rounds)
2 pounds ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup boiling water
1 cup finely chopped onions
3 medium-sized russet potatoes ("baking potatoes")
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon oil or butter
8 Goya Crackers or about 1/2 Sleeve of Saltine Crackers
1 egg (optional)

1) Wash potatoes and pierce skin several times with a fork.  Bake potatoes in the microwave on high, beginning with 5 minutes.  Microwave an additional 2 minutes at a time until a butter knife slides through easily or potatoes are soft to the touch.  Set aside to cool.

2) When potatoes are cool, remove white flesh and discard the skins.  Mash well or run through a potato ricer.

3) In a large pot or dutch oven, saute onions until soft but not brown.  Add meat and boiling water.  Cook, stirring until the meat has lost its red color.  Add the spices and continue cooking for another minute or so.

4) Stir in the potatoes, mixing until almost all of the potatoes are no longer visible.  Crush the crackers thoroughly and add a little at a time as needed until the mixture has thickened and most of the crackers have dissolved.  Mixture should be pasty but not dry with no liquid in the bottom of the pot.  Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference.  Allow to cool slightly so it won't melt the pie crust.

5) Prepare two bottom pie shells in pie plates.  Divide the mixture equally between the pie shells and smooth-out the top.

6) Add the top crust and seal and crimp the edges as you would a fruit pie.  Pierce several holes in the top of the crust with a knife.  Optionally prepare an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water) and brush the egg wash all over the crust.  This will give it a glossy shine once it is baked.

7) Bake pies on a baking sheet at 375 degrees until the crust is golden brown and the meat filling is heated through (you can stick a probe thermometer through the vent holes if you wish).

8) Serve hot or lukewarm with ketchup on the side (this part is a personal preference).  Pies may be made up to 2 days in advance, refrigerated and reheated.  They also freeze very well.  If planning to reheat, consider under-baking the crust slightly to prevent over-browning.

Thrifty Cooking - Grind It

It seems as though most truly American dishes are based on ground meat. Burgers, meatloaf, American Chop Suey... It makes sense, given that these dishes originated in the home where pinching pennies was and still is important. Ground meat has traditionally been economical because it was made from the end cuts and pieces that the butcher couldn't sell as steaks, roasts, or other cuts.

In the last few years, ground meat, especially ground beef, has become almost as expensive as some of the primary cuts. This may be partly due to the fact that we demand leaner meat these days, requiring the butcher to use better cuts and it could just be a matter of supply and demand and popularity. For example, in the 1970's, a flank steak was one of the cheapest cuts of meat you could buy because it was tough and chewy and nobody wanted it. Today, thanks to the popularity of fajitas, flank is among one of the more pricey cuts.

If you find that you have more time than money, one of the things you can do is grind your own meat. It sounds awful and time consuming but in actuality, it's pretty easy if you have the right tools. Plus, it tastes better, saves you money, and you can control the fat content. This Christmas, I bought a piece of pork butt and ground it myself for my meat pies. I ended-up saving about $2 per pound over the pre-ground pork and it was leaner and tastier. I've done the same with beef when pot roasts and bottom roasts are on sale.

The Tools
Of course, if you want to grind your own meat, you need a meat grinder. Alton Brown of the TV show Good Eats claims you can use a food processor for the job if you're careful and many people already have those. Check it out on FoodTV.com if you're interested.

Another option is a hand-crank grinder. This is the old metal thing that Grandma used to clamp to the kitchen table and crank away. You can find them for little money at antique shops, yard sales, or even in Grannie's closet. If you've got the arm strength, time, and stamina for it, be my guest. It builds character. :-)

I prefer to use an electric meat grinder most of the time. I happen to have an attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer. However, truth be told, a stand-alone grinder costs about the same price. Check thrift stores like the Salvation Army and yard sales. You may find a second-hand one for a bargain. The same goes for eBay.

The Grind
Purchase a piece of inexpensive meat. If the meat is particularly lean, ask the butcher for some "fat back" or buy a roast with a fat cap on the top of it. You need some fat, even in lean ground meat in order to not end-up with a gritty texture once cooked. Don't worry about how much is on the meat as you're going to cut it off and add it to taste anyway.

Separate the meat from the fat and any bone and cut any gristle or silver skin off. Cut both the meat and the fat into rough 1-inch pieces. Decide how much fat you want to include, either by weight or by eyeballing it and put the excess aside.

Put the die with the larger holes into your grinder and place a large bowl under the output--use a large bowl because the meat tends to splatter a bit. Begin grinding according to the directions that came with your grinder, alternating pieces of fat with meat as best as you can. When done, mix the meat gently if the fat is not evenly distributed. Divide the meat into portions and put into zip-top storage bags if freezing or storing.

Extra Perk: Homemade Sausage
If you're grinding your own meat, homemade sausage patties are only a step away. Find a good sausage seasoning recipe and toss the meat cubes with the seasoning prior to grinding. Let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so and then grind as before. Form the meat into patties and cook or store. It's that simple. And, if you let the sausage rest in the fridge for another hour or more, it'll become even more flavorful.

I personally love the breakfast and Italian sausage recipes from Alton Brown's Good Eats episode on sausage. They also can be found at www.FoodTV.com.

Happy Grinding!