Last Night's Dinner

The cooler weather and the turkeys I saw at Quail Hill Community Farm on Tuesday inspired this recipe, an adaptation of Jamie Oliver's Veal Meatballs in Lemon Sauce.

Turkey and Sage Meatballs

Serves 4

Ground turkey and a lemony sauce make these meatballs a light but satisfying meal, just right as Summer seems to be giving way to Fall. I served them with blanched green beans from the farm drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. But sauteed zucchini (which I also picked on Tuesday), would have been good too.

1 ¼ pounds ground turkey
½ cup plain breadcrumbs

1 large egg

1/2 jalapeno or other small hot chili, cored, seeded and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Salt

Olive oil for frying
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup white wine

1 cup low-sodium canned chicken broth

¼ cup lemon juice

1.Combine the turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, jalapeno, garlic, sage, parsley, parmesan, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and mix with your hands until well-combined. Form into 1 ½-inch balls.

2. Pour ½ inch of olive oil into a large Dutch oven and heat over medium. Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and fry until cooked through and deeply browned all over, turning often, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined platter to drain. Pour off the oil from the pan, leaving behind any browned bits. Remove from the heat.

3. Whisk together the corn starch and ¼ cup of broth in a small bowl. Add the wine to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and remaining broth, bring back to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.

4. Stir in the meatballs and cook until heated through, another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and cook one minute more. Serve immediately with plenty of crusty bread for the sauce.