Turkey Meatballs with Saffron

For the last few years I have been perfecting an old recipe for meatballs that I brought in a cookbook from Spain.

After making them several times (20+), the recipe no longer looks like the original (in the least). I have changed de meat (from a mix of pork, veal and beef to just ground turkey) and over time I have added other ingredients (like saffron, wine, herbs and San Marzano tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes).

The result (if I may say) is pretty exceptional. Definitely one of the best dishes coming out of my kitchen. They are good over pasta, but in a pinch you can just stick them in a french baguette for a quick dinner. Just make sure you have lots of napkins.

For the sauce I start with lots of onion in olive oil and later add some garlic. When they start turning a nice brown color, I add the San Marzano tomatoes (broken down between my fingers to start making a sauce). I then cook the mix for 20 to 30 minutes with salt, pepper, oregano thyme and saffron and later add some red wine and cook for another 15 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, I start making the meatballs. I like mine small, about the size of an egg yolk. Fr teh ingredients I use ground turkey, mixed in with some of the cooked onions and garlic (before the tomatoes were added), an egg, Panko breadcrumbs, salt pepper and more saffron. I roll them in flour and fry them in olive oil before adding them to the sauce, where they cook for another 10 or 15 minutes.

I've said it before, and I will say it again. If you could marry a meatball, this would be most definitely the one to choose.