Veal Meatballs with Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Black Olives

Serves 4

It’s nice to see different kinds of ground meats at the markets today.  I just made a wonderful free form ground lamb puff pasty tart and now that I spied ground veal at Atkinsons’ I thought that I would do something with that.  This is an easy recipe with some variations for you to choose that will make the end result zing in different ways and is pretty enough to serve for company.

Ingredients:

1. 3/4 to 1 Lb. ground veal
2. 5 large whole white or brown mushrooms—one finely chopped
3. 3 garlic cloves –diced
4. 1 egg-well beaten with some  salt and freshly ground pepper
5. 1 Tblsp. grated Parmesan
6. 1 medium onion diced
7. 3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
8. 1 Tsp. minced fresh sage leaves or a pinch of dried crumbled sage leaves or instead with a pinch of nutmeg
9. 1/2 C. (or more) plain bread crumbs
10. 5 rinsed plum tomatoes-cut long ways in quarters
11. 3 Tblsp. olive oil or butter or a combination of both
12. S&P
13. 1 large bay leaf
14. 1 C. white vermouth or white wine and possibly some chicken broth
15. 1 Tsp. minced fresh rosemary or fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 Tsp. of dried of whatever you choose)
16. 1/2 Tsp. Turmeric
17. 1 C. pitted black olives (optional if you don’t care for olives)

Directions:

1. For the meatballs, combine the ground veal with 1 finely chopped mushroom, 1 diced garlic clove, 1 Tblsp. grated Parmesan, 1 Tblsp. diced onion, 1 Tblsp. chopped parsley, the sage (or pinch of nutmeg) and the well beaten egg.  Mix well with your hands and then add 1/2 C. (or more if you feel necessary) breadcrumbs. Form the ground veal into 1” diameter meatballs.
2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil/butter and then gently place in the meatballs.  Turn them gently with a fork or tongs till they are nicely browned (about 5 minutes). Remove them to a plate.
3. In the same pot you should have enough oil and juice to brown the remaining onion.  Stir the onion till softened (5 to 10 minutes) and then add the remaining garlic and cook one minute more.  Add the S&P and the wine; if you would care for more liquid you can add 1/2 C. or more chicken broth.  Let come to a slow simmer and add the tomatoes, 2 Tblsp. chopped parsley, bay leaf, turmeric and rosemary or thyme.  Stir gently and then add the meatballs.
4. Turn the heat to very low, cover and cook, stirring very gently every now and then for about 45 minutes.  Add the whole mushrooms and black olives at the very end; continue simmering with a cover on till the mushrooms are tender and done (about 5-10 minutes).
5. I like this stew served on top of fluffy white rice and a green salad for a side.  Crusty French bread is always a nice addition.