big ole pot of borsch
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Meat stock base ? I like to cook mine with a little white vinegar and dill . Nice looking pot of borsht.
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More than you asked forâŠ
Purée:
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine
- 1/4 yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
Add to:
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/2 pound ground veal or ground chicken
- 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoon salt (depending on your taste)
Donât overwork the meat and coat your hands with olive oil when shaping the balls. Brown batches in 1/2 inch olive oil, on all sides, about 15 mins.
You can tweak the meat. egs., if you want them sturdier reduce ground chix and add more beef. Iâm thinking of adding more more pork (flavor). But the measurements for the other ingredients are spot on. Whenever I try to guesstimate theyâre not as good.
Simmer in sauce for 1hr. Since the meatballs are the star in this one (and time consuming) I donât go crazy making sauce from scratch. I gussy this up with tomato paste browned in oil, dried Italian herbs, extra garlic, broth, white wine, bay leaf, salt, pepper - sugar & butter if itâs too acidic. I put in a few chopped anchovies as well, but thatâs optional.
It has all the aromatics, herbs, everything in it and a lot of basil, but no salt or oil.
Enjoy!
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Shows how exciting my life is: Iâve been thinking about making meatballs 
Iâm not sure I ever have so thanks for this.
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Orange Vinaigrette:
It calls for bringing a cup of OJ to a simmer then remove from heat, add & soak cranberries for 30 minutes then discard soaking liquid and use a few tablespoons of fresh juice for the dressing, adding cranberries back in. I had no OJ (just a few fresh oranges which barely made a cup). I used a few tablespoons of the soaking liquid, mixed it all together and refrigerated.
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Nice. I bet any extra it would make a nice marinade.
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Oh nice. Yeah, I couldnât bring myself to discard the juice. I was like âWhat? No.â
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I like the puree as a twist . Iâll have to try this .
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I think it keeps them moist.
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Yes beef broth. Dill is great. I miss my momâs
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More thighs⊠and left over spaghetti.
Baked thighs, roasted carrots & red bell pepper, coated with a touch of oil, a skosh of broth, seasoned w/spike, thai curry powder, smoked paprika, coriander, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, pinch of saigon cinnamon, salt & red pepper. I thickened the pan juice with a bit of veganaise (
) and tossed in the spaghetti.
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Thanks! I bake chicken thighs a lot. They mostly cook in their own fats & juices (no brining, salting, zuni-ing). Inexpensive too.
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I can eat boneless, skinless thighs, marinated and cooked on the grill. Canât eat them otherwise. Or the leg. Too vein-y
Yep, Iâm squeamish about dark chicken in general and can mostly only eat my own. They have to be cooked in a way that the veiny stuff cooks away, the skin is crispy and the meat doesnât dry. I guess I should have added in my OP âTheyâre really easy once you master themâ. 
I hate legs.
Hereâs a peek of the fleshâŠ
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I just fixed Bob and me one sandwich that we shared. I had cooked a whole chicken a few days ago. I put dark meat on his half and white on mine
Thatâs a new loaf of bread with the TJs Everything but Bagel seasoning. Mmm.
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Itâs possible I didnât express that Iâm a meatball pro already 
would definitely advise upgrades such as a lot of good soft soaked bread (as much as 1/4 of the mix according to batali). And veal is part of the trinity. pecorino is the cheese to use. restaurant trick is to use more yolks and maybe all yolks for richness⊠the reason for the question.
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Yes, oven cooked thighs are one of the easiest things to cook once you get the temperature and technique down. There is so much fat that they are hard to overcook, the skin gets crispy and the veins and fat render down. I put them on a raised grate above a sheet pan.
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Hi @Nemroz -
Good stuff. Yep, I figured you were asking for a particular reason and didnât need a recipe. 
But someone might enjoy it. I have 3 meatball recipes: one does indeed call for soaked bread, another is wrapped around a chunk of smoked gouda (good for party finger foods). Not doing veal, sorry. The one I posted has the least fat, least salt, but still flavorful. But your more yolks or just yolks sounds nice and rich! Iâd love your full recipe if you donât mind sharing.
P.S. Batali also says parmigiano-reggiano is âwithout a doubt the undisputed âking of cheesesââ. But shhh⊠I used robusto (itâs actually dutch). Itâs nutty, slightly creamier and has crunchy crystals (yum). But itâs not in every store, so I write the recipe as is.
Happy Meatball Making⊠and Eating!
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Batali: " A really good meatball is about 50 percent meat and 50 percent breadcrumbs."
Seems like some other things, there are many ways to perfection