Now that’s a spicy meatball

No, we’re not talking about Ron Desantis. Although, some would argue meatball Ron is a good nickname for him. Today, we’re talking about the Italian delicacy that has won over hearts the world around. They are celebrated in song by the likes of Tom Glazer’s classic “on top of spaghetti” and countless variations therein. And, they have even starred in recent hit movies, like cloudy with a chance of meatballs. But, some of you may remember the old alka seltzer commercials with the catchphrase: Now that’s a spicy meatball. And, today is National Meatball day. So, let’s chow down.

If you ask an Italian what a good meatball is, they’ll tell you it is a mixture of Beef, pork, and maybe veal. But, meatball is a term that is widely open to interpretation. It can be any sort of meat, formed into a ball. You can always do chicken, turkey, goat, lamb or other meats. You can even do seafood meatballs. And, vegetarian or vegan versions have roots that date back millennia. Middle Eastern Koftas and falafel are versions of meatballs. So, when you say meatball, you may not know what you are getting. Of course, here in the USA, meatballs tend to be the Italian version from the alka seltzer commercial. They are embedded in American Popular Culture.

What do we have to do to say Now that’s a spicy meatball?

Despite the commercial, most people don’t actually make or eat “spicy” meatballs. So, someone took some liberties with that saying. The meatball most people know is a pretty generic, non offensive food product. Since it is on most kid’s menus in restaurants, there is no spice at all. And, the ones that are spicy usually just rely on a few pepper flakes. The need for alka seltzer is usually from over eating, not spiciness. And, most lovers of hot food will tell you that Italian meatballs aren’t in the top ten spicy foods.

Although, you could get away from the Italian version. Remember, a meatball is like a rose by any other name. You can do a Mexican version loaded with jalapeno. Or, how about Caribbean one with scotch bonnet peppers? Maybe a KOrean version with Kimchi or Gochujang sauce? How about a wasabi Seafood meatball? Or, you can go back to the Italian version and add in Hot cherry peppers or other chili.

And, don’t forget, it doesn’t have to be meat. Meat is a relatively generic term. You can have a meatless version. And, unlike in My Big fat Greek wedding, that doesn’t have to mean lamb. Think Lentils, Bulghar, Chic Peas, and other legumes as a base. Remember, a meatball is chopped protein in a ball. So, the possibilities are myriad.

Where did they come from?

The origin of the meatball is unknown. But, there are some early documented cases of ancient recipes. Somewhere around the 4th or 5th century AD a Roman cookbook, the Apicius, had variations of a meatball. So, that is widely believed to be the origin. Although, Koftas have been around in the middle east as long or longer than that. Ancient Persian recipes made an orange size meatball of seasoned lamb glazed with egg yolk (and sometimes saffron). Koftas are similar. But, they incorporate rice and/or legumes. The act of glazing the meatballs made it’s way into European cooking too (often referred to as gilding).

But, that’s not he Italian American meatball we know today. They don’t make those in Italy. Over there, they serve smaller meatballs called Polpettes. And, they are usually served sans red sauce. Again, that’s an American thing. The way the American Italian meatball evolved is basically economics. Italian immigrants arriving in America were mostly poor. They needed cheap sustenance. Meatballs, being ground could use cheap cuts of meat. And, canned tomatoes were cheap and abundant to these migrants. Plus spaghetti was the cheapest variation of pasta. So, it was the original dine on a budget food. Interestingly, the size of meatballs grew as Italian Americans became more prosperous. So, instead of eating a dozen polpettes, they could eat one big meatball.

Now, that’s a big spicy meatball.

Another cheap meal

To this day, it remains an economical way to feed your family. If you have the ability to grind your own meat, you can utilize scraps that may, otherwise, go to waste. Even if you buy commercially made meatballs, they are generally cheaper than whole cuts of meat. And, you can add things in to make them cheaper. In many instances, you’ll find more bread than meat in some variations. Bread is a binder. But, if you’re trying to cut costs, you can increase the amount of bread. It’s filling, and it absorbs the flavors of the other ingredients. I remember joking about the Meatball subs at our local sub shop when I was growing up, calling them breadball subs. So, don’t do that. There’s cheap, then there’s Cheap. Now, that’s NOT a spicy Meatball.

Although, Bread has it’s own nutritional value. In fact, the same Italian immigrants brought us another cheap, but delicious food staple in almost the same way that the meatball invaded America. That’s right, pizza. It’s bread dough, topped with sauce, cheese, and other ingredients. For more on this, see our pizza day posts. It’s kind of interesting how people complain about immigrants today. But, it was the poor, uneducated Italian immigrants who brought us at least 2 of the most popular dishes in the country. So, maybe we should think twice before turning away someone because they are poor, and/or bring nothing tangible to the table. Remember, immigrants also brought us nachos, hot dogs, hamburgers, and apple pie. What’s more American than those?

Time to play with your food

So, now that we know a little about where they came from. It’s time to make the meatballs. And, this can’t help but be fun. They are balls. Isn’t that what most sports are based on. And, of course, the best game ever: Ball in a cup.

Some people think there’s a big mystery to making a good Italian meatball. But, really, it’s as easy as catching a ball in a cup. Take ground meat, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, egg, and a little seasoning. Mix together. Form into balls. Then, bake, fry, saute, or braise in sauce. It’s not exactly rocket science. But, on a daily basis, it’s generally, a more important skill that most people can accomplish.

And, once you get adept at Italian meatballs, feel free to branch out. Try fish, shrimp, poultry, or meatless variations. How about quinoa, black beans, rice, even sweet potatoes. And, various combinations. Here is a Mexican version to get you started. And, don’t forget, they don’t need to be smothered in sauce. Either way, you’ll say now that’s a spicy meatball.

That’s a spicy Mexican Meatball

cheffd

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Servings 24 meatballs

Ingredients

  

• 2 Lb Ground meat Can be beef. or you could do a ground poultry version like chicken or turkey
• 1 cup Finely diced onion
• 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Garlic
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Jalapeno
• 1/4 Cup Quinoa
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
• 1 Tbsp Ground Coriander
• 1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Scallion
• 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Avocado oil for cooking
• For Sauce:
• 3 Cups Marinara sauce
• 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
• 1 Tbsp Ground Coriander
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/2 Cup Lime Juice
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Cook the quinoa: Boil water with a little salt. Stir in the quinoa. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Do not overcook or it will become bitter and too mushy. Cool the quinoa until ready to use.
• make the sauce. Heat a little avocado oil in a pot. Add in the dry spices and mix, cooking over medium heat until they form an aromatic paste. Add the lime juice and continue stirring. Then add in the tomato sauce.. Adjust seasoning.
• Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan. Saute the onion and garlic. Add in the dry spices and jalapeno. Stir well until aromatic and the onions and garlic are soft.
• Put all ingredients in a big bowl and mix well. You don't want chunks of anything. All ingredients should be evenly distributed. Take a little bit of the mix. Cook in a pan with a little oil. Taste the meat to see if it is seasoned right. Make any flavor adjustments at this point. When done, scoop balls and roll them until smooth. Place on a flat pan until ready to cook.
• You can either cook the meatballs in a 400 degree oven or saute them in a pan on the stove. You can break one open to make sure it's cooked all the way through or use a chef's thermometer to make sure they are 155 degrees or more inside. Meanwhile heat the sauce to a simmer and transfer the meatballs to the sauce. Serve hot.

Notes

While beef is fine here, you can use whatever kind of meat you want. Lamb can be a bit gamey for some tastes. But, it’s your call. I like to keep it a little lighter with poultry. But, again, it’s your choice.

The quinoa acts as a binding agent, and gives an interesting texture. We use it in place of bread. But, you could use bread or tortillas if you prefer.

The sauce is a bit impromptu. You may have some tomato sauce in house anyway. If not, simply saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add red wine and reduce that. Then add in crushed tomato and water. Add some basil and simmer for at least an hour, stirring as needed. When the acid is mostly cooked out, season with salt and pepper. This makes a good base. Then, just add in your Mexican seasoning. You could even add in some chocolate to make a mole.

Keyword Black cumin, Chili, Jalapeno, meatball, Mexican, sauce, spicy