Moroccan-Style Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry
1 1/2 pounds 85 or 93 percent lean ground turkey
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled

Instructions

1. Pulse bread in food processor until finely ground, 10 to 15 pulses; transfer bread crumbs to large bowl. Add gelatin, Parmesan, 2 tablespoons cilantro, parsley, 2 teaspoons paprika, cumin, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne and mix until thoroughly combined. Pulse carrots and anchovies in food processor until carrots are chopped fine, 10 to 15 pulses. Add carrot mixture, turkey, and egg to bowl with bread-crumb mixture and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Divide mixture into 16 portions (about 1/4 cup each). Using your hands, roll each portion into ball; transfer meatballs to plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

2. Pulse onion in food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 15 pulses. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add meatballs and cook until well browned all over, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer meatballs to paper towel–lined plate, leaving fat in skillet.

3. Add tomato paste, ginger, and onion to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Increase heat to high; add broth, saffron, ¼ cup cilantro, remaining 1 teaspoon paprika, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon cayenne; and bring to simmer. Return meatballs to skillet, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until meatballs register 160 degrees, 12 to 15 minutes, turning meatballs once. Transfer meatballs to platter, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer sauce until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over meatballs, garnish with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro, and serve.

Notes

Why This Recipe Works - Our turkey meatballs rival those made from beef or pork, thanks to a few test kitchen tricks. We start with 93 or 85 percent lean turkey; the 99 percent lean type didn’t have enough fat to create a palatable meatball. Next, we add an egg and fresh bread crumbs (instead of a panade, which made the meatballs too wet) to help bind the meat. We also add a small amount of unflavored gelatin, which mitigates graininess by trapping moisture and giving the meatballs a juicy mouthfeel. To boost meaty flavor, we add glutamate-rich ingredients such as Parmesan cheese, anchovies, tomato paste, or rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms.

Serve with white rice or couscous.

Ground Turkey Tips
DON'T SKIMP TOO MUCH ON FAT - We found that 99 percent lean commercial ground turkey yielded meatballs that were irreparably dry and grainy, so we recommend avoiding it. However, our meatball recipe works well with both 93 and 85 percent lean ground turkey, so use whichever of these you can find. (Packages usually state the fat percentage, though it is not always displayed prominently; another tip-off is that, typically, the darker the meat, the higher the fat content.)
BUY STORE-GROUND IF YOU CAN - We developed our turkey meatball recipes using commercial ground turkey, which tends to have a very fine texture. If your supermarket or butcher grinds turkey in house, buy that instead. Store-ground turkey is typically more coarsely ground than commercial ground turkey and will produce meatballs with a slightly less compacted texture.