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A Seattle-inspired meatball recipe for a rainy day

Photo by Jaden Hair

Turn simple meatballs into an elegant appetizer using ready-made mini phyllo shells from the freezer section.

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By JADEN HAIR

Tribune correspondent

Published: May 27, 2009

Last week, I was in sunny Seattle and enjoyed myself so much that I even contemplated spending summers there. Whoa! I contemplated the idea for 3 or 4 seconds and then realized how silly it was. While standing on the corner of Union and First streets, clouds rolled in and started spitting on me. So, OK, never mind ... Steamy's not wanted in Seattle.

While there, I did get to hear Renee Behnke speak about her new book, "Memorable Recipes." Renee is president emeritus of Sur La Table, and I could spend days fondling every item in those kitchenware stores. I'll take one of each! Well, um ... then I'd need a new, bigger kitchen. And just the idea of shopping for a new home would probably rattle Seattle and put its mist-makers back on high-alert.

In honor of Renee, I've taken her meatball recipe and created a very elegant appetizer using ready-made mini phyllo shells found in the freezer section (same area where you would find phyllo sheets or puff pastry).

I've also added a spoonful of saucy sauce to the shells, and here is where you get to be totally creative. Grab a jar of your favorite sauce, relish or chutney. It could be a dab of hot sauce (Moroccan harissa), roasted red bell pepper puree, even mango chutney. I used a jar of Big Lenny's Sweet Red Onion Sauce I discovered on a recent trip to Rutland, Vt. For more than 21 years, Big Lenny has run a popular roadside hot dog stand and makes his own killer concoction of relishes. And yes, he even has a Twitter stream updating his whereabouts at http://biglennyshotdogs.com.

For more culinary adventures, visit www.steamykitchen.com.

SMOKY MOROCCAN MEATBALLS IN MINI FILLO CUPS

(Adapted from "Memorable Recipes" by Renee Behnke)

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound ground veal
• 1/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 packages Athens Mini Fillo Shells (45 mini shells)
• 1/4 cup sauce, relish or chutney of your choice
• A few sprigs parsley leaves for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the pork, veal, onion, cumin, paprika, parsley, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl, and use your hands to thoroughly blend well. Form the mixture into balls about 1-inch across (you should have about 40 meatballs.) Dust the meatballs in the flour, patting gently to remove the excess.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. In 2 to 3 batches, cook the meatballs, turning them a few times for 5-6 minutes until browned on all sides.

Lay the phyllo shells on a baking sheet. Spoon a little bit of the sauce/relish/chutney in the bottom of each shell and then place a meatball in each shell. Bake for 7 minutes, until the shell is hot and crisp and the meatballs are cooked through. Garnish with parsley leaf.

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