Mystery Meatballs.

It's funny, I think every country has their own version of the meatball. I even got the "Mom, why can't we have Swedish Meatballs" from Elie. My simple reply, "Sweden can be your next country pick"... so where do they come from? It's a mystery, really. Nobody can quite pinpoint the true origin. Some say it was the Italians.

Chef John Piso described it as: "Meatballs originated in some Italian's kitchen when she found that she had some ground beef left over. I could just see some nice Italian housewife ready to make a tomato sauce and find some left over ground meat in her ice-a -box-a. .. She must have felt a surge of lightning that hit her with this idea. Ground meat, garlic, cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley, and some beaten egg to hold it all together. Fry it in oil; drop it in the sauce and Bingo! Two courses in one pot - pure genius!"

The meatball doesn't stop in Italy. Grecian, Japanese, called hanbâgu; Swedish, Polish, the size of oranges; Mexican and Spanish, 'albóndigas; and even Albania where they often use a mixture of feta and meat.  The list goes on, but so must I. Blogging has taken its toll on me lately. Time is NOT on my side these days. I keep waiting for summer to slow down. Maybe in August. 
This Indian version of Meatballs was very simple. And the kids gobbled them up (thank goodness). The India inspiration is really in the yogurt sauce. The meatballs have a distinct asian influence. 


Grilled Meatballs with Indian-Spiced Yogurt Sauce

Meatballs
2 pounds ground beef
1 large red onion, minced
2 large cloves garlic
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Indian Spiced Yogurt Sauce
1 pint yogurt
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Garnish
2 tablespoons minced curly parsley


Preparation
Meatballs
1. Combine the ground beef, onion, garlic, soy sauce, eggs, ginger, salt, and pepper in the bowl. Mix the ingredients with your hands until they are well blended and hold together well.
2. Preheat the broiler (low).
3. Brush the baking sheet with 2 teaspoons of the oil (I used cooking spray). With your hands, form the meat mixture into 24 round balls and place them 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheet. (Each ball should weigh about 1/2 ounce.) Lightly moisten your hands before forming each ball to facilitate rolling. Brush the meatballs with the remaining oil and broil them, 4 inches from the heating element, 6 to 8 minutes, turning them once, until they are cooked through.
4. Place the meatballs in a shallow bowl with the Indian-Spiced Yogurt Sauce on the side, or cut off the top of a small round loaf of bread, remove the insides, and spoon the meatballs into the bread. Dust with chopped parsley for color.
Indian Spiced Yogurt Sauce

1. Line the strainer with the cheesecloth. Place it over a bowl and spoon the yogurt into the strainer. Allow the yogurt to drain in the refrigerator for 3 hours (I skipped this step).
2. Transfer the drained yogurt from the cheesecloth to the other bowl and blend in the garlic, lemon juice, oil, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Note the kid-friendly version here. No sauce. Just plain sticky rice and meatballs. Simple to please. Happy is.