Cooking
Play with the protein, spices, herbs and aromatics in this meatball recipe to get the exact combination you want for tonight’s dinner.
I almost never follow recipes, at least not exactly. I like to add a pinch of this and a spoonful of that, guided by what’s in my pantry and what I’m hungry for. This is why I find it almost physically impossible to make the same thing twice.
My recipe for meatballs with any meat is made for these sorts of improvisations — the variations are built right into the ingredient list. Like a culinary Choose Your Own Adventure, you select the meat (or your favorite meat substitute), the spices, the herbs and the aromatics to get the combination you want for dinner tonight, and you can rest assured that the recipe’s basic structure will lead to a good ending. Try it out, and then recount your adventures in the notes to inspire fellow cooks. It’s a risk-free way to be creative in the kitchen.
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Meatballs With Any Meat
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Speaking of creative, Ali Slagle’s way of constructing easy seasonal recipes never fails to include a touch of artistic wizardry. In her oven-seared salmon with corn and tomatoes, she brushes mayonnaise all over the fillets, which adds moisture and helps them brown while searing. Then, she adds loads of lime zest to the vegetables to spark their flavors. It’s a beguiling and effortless late summer meal.
Then there’s her mojo chicken with pineapple, in which she marinates chicken in a garlicky Cuban mojo sauce after — rather than before — broiling. The warm meat soaks up the flavors while keeping the dish’s colors bright and lively, casting a spell on both the eyes and the stomach.
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