Andre Darlington's Italian Riviera Meatballs feature fennel seeds and butter. The accompanying tomato sauce has anchovies and walnuts. Both should be on your next cocktail party menu. (Neal Santos)
Spirits writer and cocktail expert André Darlington calls meatballs a cocktailer’s kind of food. These beef-and-pork meatballs, featured in Darlington’s new cookbook, “BAR MENU: 100+ Drinking Food Recipes for Cocktail Hour at Home” (Running Press, $28.00), are far from typical.
Darlington makes them holiday party-worthy by adding butter, fennel seeds and fresh bread — no crumbs from a canister here — and whipping up a fresh sauce from squashed plum tomatoes, anchovy paste, chopped walnuts and more. Throw together a Cacio e Pepe Frittata and some Citrus and Fennel Olives, and you have a party plan for the holidays or any day of the week.
Italian Riviera Meatballs
Serves 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
For the meatballs:
1 cup fresh white bread cubes
¼ cup buttermilk
1 medium-size onion, diced
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided use
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
4 large egg yolks
4 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 plum tomatoes, squashed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup finely chopped toasted walnuts
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, soak bread in buttermilk.
In a food processor, process the onion and 1/2 cup parsley.
Place beef, pork, butter, cheese, eggs, 4 minced garlic cloves, salt, oregano and fennel in a large bowl. Add bread crumb and onion mixture; mix with your hands.
Place an oven rack in the highest position and preheat broiler on high. Form meatball mixture into Ping-Pong-size balls and arrange on a baking sheet. Broil meatballs until browned on top, about 7 minutes; switch oven to bake. Bake at 350 degrees another 7 to 10 minutes or until done. Garnish with remaining parsley.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Heat oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic, anchovy paste and red pepper flakes; sauté until garlic softens. Add tomatoes and tomato paste; stir to combine. Add wine, walnuts, salt and black pepper; stir thoroughly. Serve sauce over meatballs.
— From André Darlington’s “BAR MENU: 100+ Drinking Food Recipes for Cocktail Hour at Home (Running Press, $28.00)
Originally published at Jessica Yadegaran