Fennel and cornmeal turkey meatballs

This is a recipe pre-empting some of the upcoming turkey overload slightly (though if you follow s&h regularly, you know that I love turkey year round).

With the sweetness of fennel, the little cornmeal crunch, and the fall flavor of sage, this filling would make a wonderful sausage stuffing, but baked meatballs make the recipe a little more accessible.

Fennel and cornmeal turkey meatballs

You’ll need:

• 1 lb turkey mince (a mix of dark and light meat is best)
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 1 bulb fennel
• 2 T fresh sage, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1/3 cup vegetable stock
• olive oil
• salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Chop half of the fennel roughly and the other half finely.

2. In a large bowl, combine the turkey mince, egg, the finely chopped fennel, the chopped onion, the tomato paste, and about 2/3 of the cornmeal. Mix well with your hands. Fold in the sage and season with salt and pepper.

3. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil n a medium-sized baking dish, then layer the remaining fennel on the bottom of the dish. Form meatballs and fit them in snugly over the fennel.

4. Pour the vegetable stock in the bottom of the baking dish – it should not be covering the fennel and the meatballs, but just keeping everything moist and helping the vegetables cook more gently.

 

5. Mix remaining cornmeal with a little bit of olive oil. Sprinkle over the meatballs and bake for about 30-35 minutes until lightly browned on top.