Meatballs are one comfort food trend among many, all of which seem to have been with us since the nineties for no obvious reason. Maybe we've all gotten so very tired of politics and obstructionists and pundits and sign-wavers and bad times and bank bailouts and... OK, comfort foods aren't going away any time soon. So try this Greek-inspired dish, the flavors based on those from the eastern part of the Mediterranean.
If you've never worked with fresh baby artichokes, take this warning to heart: You may need to lose a little more than half of each before they're ready to go in the stew. Cut the top third off the artichoke, getting rid of any spiky points, even inside. Then pull off the outer leaves until you get down to a small pale green, sometimes yellowish, teardrop-shaped vegetable. The choke inside (the hairy bits in a bigger artichoke) is still edible in these small ones, so there's no need to remove it. Or buy frozen baby artichokes and be done with it.
Recipe information
Yield
It'll serve four, maybe six, if you've got a couple of sides like wilted chard and mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
1. Mix the ground meat, egg white, bread crumbs, shallots, oregano, dill, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper in a medium bowl until uniform—that is, until the spices are spread evenly throughout; the bread crumbs, too; and the egg white is no longer visible as a scummy film. Form this mixture into 12 golf balls.
Step 2
2. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, spread the flour on a plate. Swirl the oil into the pot, then roll half the balls in the flour. Put them in the pot and brown on all sides. (OK, geometry teachers, balls don't have sides. But you know what I mean.) About 7 minutes will do it. Transfer them to a plate and repeat with the remaining balls.
Step 3
3. Dump the onion, fennel, tomato, and artichokes into the pot. Stir over the heat until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.
Step 4
4. Pour in the broth; stir in the tomato paste, lemon juice, cinnamon, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. As the mixture begins to simmer, make sure you scrape up any browned bits in the pot. Then tuck the meatballs into the simmering sauce and pour any juices on their plate over everything. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly for 1 hour.
Recipe notes
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