Here are a few tips for making the perfect meatballs - from the man who's sold enough to stretch from London to DoverA few months before my co-founders and I opened the first Leon restaurant (10 years ago this week), I went with my sister to see the White Stripes play in Glasgow. Before they came on, we executed our plan. We manoeuvred ourselves carefully amid the thousands of bodies, edging closer to the stage, then closer still, then a couple of steps here or there so as not to have our view blocked by anyone tall. And there we waited, perfectly positioned, in the beery air.Then Jack White bounded out of the wings and swung his guitar from its stand. The amps hummed angrily. He raised his right arm high, held it for a second, then smashed it down on the strings to produce the first awesome, massively distorted chord of the night. The crowd exploded into life. Within seconds my sister was 10 metres away as we were tossed about happily by the seething throng.
It turned out to be perfect preparation for opening day at Leon. We had planned it in detail for over a year: mapping the layout of the kitchen with cardboard boxes in an empty car park in north London, travelling the country in my white Citroen Berlingo van visiting potential suppliers, and holding tasting after tasting until we were confident we had the menu just right.By the end of lunch on our very first day, everything had changed. The menu had shrunk by a third, we had stopped offering a choice of white or wholemeal wraps, or plates for people eating in. No business plan, however meticulous, withstands first contact with the customer. Nevertheless, we did get the odd thing right and chief among these seems to be the meatballs. They sell come rain or shine. They're our Seven Nation Army. In 10 years we've sold enough laid side‑by-side, by rough calculation, to go round the Circle Line four times. On second thoughts, that doesn't sound very glamorous. Up and down Everest 33 times? Anyway, the point is we've learned quite a bit about cooking meatballs.And these, for the beginner cook, would be our top tips (but we'd love to hear your own tips in the comments below:• Bread: The purpose of breadcrumbs is to soften the texture of the meatballs. Without bread they will be too firm and bouncy. (And, incidentally, very expensive.) How soft you like them is a matter of taste, so try experimenting with different quantities of crumb. Try soaking the bread in milk beforehand - it adds flavour and moisture. If you are avoiding wheat, cooked rice performs the same function, as do fine rolled oats soaked in milk.• Texture: Use high-quality meat and a lean, coarsely ground mince. Mix thoroughly with your hands - never in a blender (unless you are making Asian-style fishballs). Hand-mixed meatballs have better texture. You want to avoid that Ikea-style smoothness.• Seasoning: Take a little bit of the mixture and fry it in a pan to test for seasoning before you roll it all into balls. Add more seasoning if necessary.• Size matters: Meatballs often seem to be made to a regulation size - just smaller than a golf ball. But it's worth experimenting. When putting them on pasta I like to make smaller balls - just bigger than a large gobstobber - to make a neat mouthful. If we're having guests to dinner, I sometimes make unnervingly large meatballs - about the size of a small mandarin. People remember them.• Browning: Always brown your meatballs before putting them in the sauce. It adds flavour. If you're cutting down on fat, you don't have to fry them: you can brown them under the grill or even bake them in a high oven.• Timing: The recipe below gives a relatively quick braise to the meatballs, but a longer braise will help the flavour infuse into the sauce. You can braise for up to an hour (adding water if the sauce is drying out). They are also the perfect dish to make a day in advance, as they will improve overnight.• Stuffing: For added fun, try stuffing your meatballs. Push a little bit of cheese into the middle: once cooked, it will ooze out when you cut into it. My mum once made us Indian‑style meatballs with a little chutney stuffed into each one. They were delicious.Moroccan style meatballs with couscous
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutesServes 6
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red chilli, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
750g minced lamb
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
3 tbsp soft breadcrumbs
1 eggFor the sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
A pinch of saffron
440g chopped tinned tomatoes
1 cinnamon stick
Salt and black pepper
200ml chicken stock
Chopped coriander and mint, to serve1 In a small frying pan, cook the chopped onion in the olive oil for 10 minutes over a medium heat. Add the chilli and garlic, cook for another minute, remove from the heat and allow to cool.2 Tip into a large bowl and mix with the rest of the meatball ingredients (down to and including the egg). Using your hands massage the spices through the lamb, making sure that it is mixed well. Season well.3 Roll the mince mixture into small balls about the size of a golf ball. Heat the rest of the oil in a large, shallow frying pan, so that all the balls will fit in snugly. Add the meatballs and brown them well, shaking the pan and turning them over so they are browned all over. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.4 For the sauce, add the oil, sliced garlic and saffron to the pan and cook for a few minutes before tipping in the tinned tomatoes and cinnamon. Season and turn up the heat, cooking quite quickly for 5 minutes to reduce. Now add the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer. Return the meatballs to the pan and cook gently for about 10 minutes or until the meatballs are firm to the touch.5 Serve with plain couscous* and sprinkle with chopped coriander and mint.* To make fluffy couscous. Mix it with a good tbsp of olive oil and a little salt. Massage the oil through the grain and leave for 5 minutes. Pour over boiling water a few millimetres above the level of the couscous and cover very tightly with clingfilm. Leave in a warm place for at least 5 minutes. To serve, fluff up with a fork.Recipe by Jane BaxterWhat else can you do?• Chopped cooked root veg can be added to the sauce - especially parsnips, carrots, swede and turnips.• The same method can be used for Italian-style meatballs, using minced beef and pork, but leaving out the cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Serve with pasta.
Henry Dimbleby is co-founder of the natural fast-food restaurant chain Leon (@henry_leon). Get your kids cooking at cook5.co.uk
It turned out to be perfect preparation for opening day at Leon. We had planned it in detail for over a year: mapping the layout of the kitchen with cardboard boxes in an empty car park in north London, travelling the country in my white Citroen Berlingo van visiting potential suppliers, and holding tasting after tasting until we were confident we had the menu just right.By the end of lunch on our very first day, everything had changed. The menu had shrunk by a third, we had stopped offering a choice of white or wholemeal wraps, or plates for people eating in. No business plan, however meticulous, withstands first contact with the customer. Nevertheless, we did get the odd thing right and chief among these seems to be the meatballs. They sell come rain or shine. They're our Seven Nation Army. In 10 years we've sold enough laid side‑by-side, by rough calculation, to go round the Circle Line four times. On second thoughts, that doesn't sound very glamorous. Up and down Everest 33 times? Anyway, the point is we've learned quite a bit about cooking meatballs.And these, for the beginner cook, would be our top tips (but we'd love to hear your own tips in the comments below:• Bread: The purpose of breadcrumbs is to soften the texture of the meatballs. Without bread they will be too firm and bouncy. (And, incidentally, very expensive.) How soft you like them is a matter of taste, so try experimenting with different quantities of crumb. Try soaking the bread in milk beforehand - it adds flavour and moisture. If you are avoiding wheat, cooked rice performs the same function, as do fine rolled oats soaked in milk.• Texture: Use high-quality meat and a lean, coarsely ground mince. Mix thoroughly with your hands - never in a blender (unless you are making Asian-style fishballs). Hand-mixed meatballs have better texture. You want to avoid that Ikea-style smoothness.• Seasoning: Take a little bit of the mixture and fry it in a pan to test for seasoning before you roll it all into balls. Add more seasoning if necessary.• Size matters: Meatballs often seem to be made to a regulation size - just smaller than a golf ball. But it's worth experimenting. When putting them on pasta I like to make smaller balls - just bigger than a large gobstobber - to make a neat mouthful. If we're having guests to dinner, I sometimes make unnervingly large meatballs - about the size of a small mandarin. People remember them.• Browning: Always brown your meatballs before putting them in the sauce. It adds flavour. If you're cutting down on fat, you don't have to fry them: you can brown them under the grill or even bake them in a high oven.• Timing: The recipe below gives a relatively quick braise to the meatballs, but a longer braise will help the flavour infuse into the sauce. You can braise for up to an hour (adding water if the sauce is drying out). They are also the perfect dish to make a day in advance, as they will improve overnight.• Stuffing: For added fun, try stuffing your meatballs. Push a little bit of cheese into the middle: once cooked, it will ooze out when you cut into it. My mum once made us Indian‑style meatballs with a little chutney stuffed into each one. They were delicious.Moroccan style meatballs with couscous
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutesServes 6
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red chilli, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
750g minced lamb
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
3 tbsp soft breadcrumbs
1 eggFor the sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
A pinch of saffron
440g chopped tinned tomatoes
1 cinnamon stick
Salt and black pepper
200ml chicken stock
Chopped coriander and mint, to serve1 In a small frying pan, cook the chopped onion in the olive oil for 10 minutes over a medium heat. Add the chilli and garlic, cook for another minute, remove from the heat and allow to cool.2 Tip into a large bowl and mix with the rest of the meatball ingredients (down to and including the egg). Using your hands massage the spices through the lamb, making sure that it is mixed well. Season well.3 Roll the mince mixture into small balls about the size of a golf ball. Heat the rest of the oil in a large, shallow frying pan, so that all the balls will fit in snugly. Add the meatballs and brown them well, shaking the pan and turning them over so they are browned all over. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.4 For the sauce, add the oil, sliced garlic and saffron to the pan and cook for a few minutes before tipping in the tinned tomatoes and cinnamon. Season and turn up the heat, cooking quite quickly for 5 minutes to reduce. Now add the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer. Return the meatballs to the pan and cook gently for about 10 minutes or until the meatballs are firm to the touch.5 Serve with plain couscous* and sprinkle with chopped coriander and mint.* To make fluffy couscous. Mix it with a good tbsp of olive oil and a little salt. Massage the oil through the grain and leave for 5 minutes. Pour over boiling water a few millimetres above the level of the couscous and cover very tightly with clingfilm. Leave in a warm place for at least 5 minutes. To serve, fluff up with a fork.Recipe by Jane BaxterWhat else can you do?• Chopped cooked root veg can be added to the sauce - especially parsnips, carrots, swede and turnips.• The same method can be used for Italian-style meatballs, using minced beef and pork, but leaving out the cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Serve with pasta.
Henry Dimbleby is co-founder of the natural fast-food restaurant chain Leon (@henry_leon). Get your kids cooking at cook5.co.uk
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