Escarole and Turkey Meatballs

All Photographs by Len Boccassini

       Escarole is one of my favorite ingredients to utilize in a myriad of recipes. I just love how it works with just about any other food combination - beans, sausage, ground beef, poultry, fruit - just about anything! In this recipe, I combined it with miniature turkey meatballs that swing slightly towards the Swedish Meatball end of the spectrum thanks to the small amount of nutmeg and allspice I utilized in the ground turkey mixture. Either way, this is one of my winter favorites and if you're a lover of escarole dishes as am I, I'm sure you enjoy it as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 yellow onion, 1/2 chopped & 1/2 thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tbsp allspice
• 1 tbsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley. finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 heads of escarole, roughly chopped
• 4 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
  
• Pecorino Romano Cheese
  

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400º
2. In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, 1/2 onion that is chopped, nutmeg, allspice, parsley, granulated parsley and salt & pepper.
3. Shape into small balls and lay out of a cookie sheet. Place in 400º oven and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Remove any dirt or grit from the escarole and roughly chop. Rinse again and do not dry. Set aside.
5. Pour olive oil in deep pot over medium/high heat.
6. Add garlic and onions to pot and cook for several minutes. While they sweat, add crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper.
7. Place escarole in pot and cover, allowing escarole to wilt, stirring occasionally. When escarole is wilted, lower heat and continue to cook until turkey meatballs are done.
8. When removed from oven, the turkey meatballs should be golden brown with a delicious crust on the outside, yet moist on the inside. Set aside momentarily.
9. Add 4 cups of chicken stock to the escarole and raise heat to bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil, add the meatballs to the pot and lower heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes to one hour. If you like it a little spicier, you can adjust seasonings by adding additional crushed red pepper during simmer.
10. Serve while hot and top with Pecorino Romano cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

When done, the Turkey meatballs should be ca crispy golden brown on the outside and a soft, moist inside