Veal Meatballs With Baby Artichokes

Recipe Ingredients

3		Garlic cloves - divided
4 tablespoons	60ml	Olive oil - plus
1 teaspoon	5ml	Olive oil - divided
1/2 cup	31g / 1.1oz	Diced onion - (1/8" dice)
1/2 cup	73g / 2.6oz	Diced fennel bulb - (1/8" dice)
1 lb	454g / 16oz	Ground veal
2 tablespoons	30ml	Grated Parmesan cheese - plus
		Additional shaved Parmesan for garnish
2 tablespoons	30ml	Chopped parsley
1		Egg
1/4 cup	36g / 1.3oz	Fresh bread crumbs
1 teaspoon	5ml	Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon	1.3ml	Freshly-ground black pepper
4 tablespoons	60ml	Lemon juice - divided
12		Baby artichokes - (abt 1 1/4 lbs)
1/3 cup	48g / 1.7oz	Coarsely-chopped green olives
1 tablespoon	15ml	Chopped fresh sage
1 cup	237ml	Chicken stock
1		Tomato - peeled, seeded,
		And diced

Recipe Instructions

Mince 2 cloves of the garlic. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonreactive skillet on medium-high heat. Add the onion, fennel and minced garlic and cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool.

Combine half the cooked onion mixture with the veal, grated Parmesan, parsley, egg, bread crumbs, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in the skillet used for the fennel mixture. Form 1 teaspoon of the veal mixture into a small patty and cook on both sides until cooked through. Allow to cool slightly and taste. Add more salt and/or pepper to the veal mixture if desired.

Form the veal mixture into balls approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the same skillet. Add the meatballs and cook, browning on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Thinly slice the remaining garlic clove. Set aside.

Fill a large bowl with water and add 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Clean the artichokes by removing the tough outer leaves, trimming off the dark green tips of the inner leaves and trimming the stems within one-fourth inch of the bottom of the artichoke. Remove the remaining tough green leaf bases and outer portions of the stems with a peeler. Cut each cleaned artichoke in half lengthwise and put in the bowl with the water and lemon juice. Repeat until all the artichokes are cleaned and halved.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet. Remove the artichokes from the water, pat dry and place cut-side down in the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat just until the edges are golden brown, about 8 minutes.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the olives, sage and chicken stock to the artichokes in the pan along with the browned meatballs. Cook over high heat until the liquid comes to a boil, about 5 minutes, then cover the skillet with foil and bake until the artichoke hearts are tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove the artichokes from the oven and place them on a platter with the meatballs. Season the sauce in the pan with salt and pepper as desired and pour it over the meatballs and artichokes. Sprinkle with the diced tomato and shaved Parmesan and serve.

This recipe yields 6 servings.

Each serving: 269 calories; 19 grams protein; 10 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 18 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 99 mg. cholesterol; 624 mg. sodium.

Source:
The Los Angeles Times, 09-08-2004

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