Because I indulged in a beef dish a day or two ago, I decided to go ‘turkey’. These turkey balls are just in time for the Superbowl week-end. They are made with chopped turkey breast which I had in-house for about a couple of weeks. And because it’s not consisted of much fat, I opted to incorporate same with added flavors to let my balls stand out.
I love fresh root ginger and so I grated a generous teaspoon full that was divided between sauce and turkey. A little goes a long way. The other ingredients were:
Ingredients for Turkey Balls:
- Chopped turkey (1.3 lbs)
- Onions (Med-1/2)
- Scallion (2 stalks)
- Thyme (1 tsp)
- Parsley (2 tbsp)
- Celery (1 stalk)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Diced carrot (1)
- Dried Basil (1/4 tsp)
- Dried Oregano (1/4 tsp)
- Ketchup (generous squeeze)
- Bell pepper (section)
- Crushed garlic (3 cloves)
- Eggs (2)
- Bread crumbs (1/4 cup)
- Sugar (1/4 tsp)
Ingredients for Ginger/Orange Sauce:
- Fresh orange juice from 2 oranges
- Light brown sugar (1/3 cup)
- Splash of house vinegar
- Squeeze of ketchup
- Pinch of salt/pepper
- 1/4 tsp of grated ginger
- Corn starch (1 tsp)
- Splash of brandy
Method for Ginger/Orange Sauce:
- In a small sauce pot, I combined all ingredients (except corn starch) and simmered on low to medium heat.
- Cornstarch was placed in a cup with a splash of water so as to dissolve.
- Cornstarch solution was added to sauce and stirred to a smooth consistency so as to form no lumps.
- After thickening, it was removed from heat and set aside.
Method for Turkey Balls:
- Finely chopped onion,parsley,celery, bell peppers, were sautéed in a drizzle of olive oil along with salt, pepper, and crushed garlic.
TURKEY BALLS READY FOR BROWNING - After cooling, this was added to chopped turkey along with other dried seasonings incl. salt, pepper, eggs, bread crumbs, ketchup, sugar, a half of the grated ginger and orange rind.
- All ingredients were folded and combined but not overworked.
- An ice cream scoop was used to make uniformed sized balls. These were covered with plastic wrap and placed inside the fridge for an hour so to further set.
- In a skillet, oil was heated and balls browned on all sides.
- Browned turkey balls were then placed in ginger/orange sauce and then slowly simmered on low heat in order to soak up all the amazing flavor.
My turkey balls were firm and had a beautiful orange/brown hue with specks of herbs visible. The flavors and spices were perfectly synchronized, though different, they worked beautifully together. My taste buds were surprised yet excited to partake of the spicy flavor of the ginger, the sweetness and the tart from the other ingredients.
Guys, the dish was a TOUCHDOWN!!