Naked Meatballs

...story and recipe from the south of France.....

Naked Meatballs - Les Tout Nus

“Usually made very small, as if they were to be the filling for ravioli but without the dough, tout nus are often presented with a drizzle of olive oil and some grated cheese. They are always made with spinach, rice and ground meat.” This is what I was told by the best-looking waiter I have ever seen, so I listened very carefully!

Why were we on the topic of naked meatballs? I was ordering lunch in a small bistro after shopping in Antibes when I saw a dish go by and smelled an aroma worth following. Gazing up at the waiter, I asked what it was. He smiled and announced in French and English, “Tout nus! Naked meatballs!” He told me it was a traditional Nicoise dish that the owner’s mother made for the restaurant on special days, and this was my lucky day. Would I like some? Mais oui!

What I loved about them was that they had a slight sweetness, a hint of orange, and they were topped not with olive oil and cheese but with a rich tomato sauce spiked with red wine. (orange is often used in Nicoise meat dishes, like daube)

I said my farewell, waived by thanks to the owner’s mother peering around the kitchen door, and when I was a few steps away took out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote down my immediate impressions of what I thought the recipe might be.

I have arrived at a happy place. My naked meatballs taste pretty close to the restaurant’s, helped along by the addition of a little orange marmalade. I like to make mine larger, serving four per person in a row on a rectangular plate, with some tomato sauce ladled down the side to drag them through before eating. The only thing missing is the handsome waiter.

Makes 24 medium-size meatballs

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup rice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced, divided

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

3 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1 (9-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed very dry

2 large eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons orange marmalade

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil, add 1/4 cup rice, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook rice till tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In another saucepan, heat olive oil, add the onion and cook about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and cook on medium-high another 5 minutes until the onion turns light brown.

Add 1 clove minced garlic, tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt, simmer for 15 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking dish with olive oil.

In a large bowl, add the cooked rice, ground beef, ground pork, spinach, eggs, marmalade, remaining garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and breadcrumbs. Mix with clean hands until very well blended.

Place the flour in a large plate. Roll the meat into the size meatballs you would like (about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of meat), rolling them lightly without compacting too much. Then roll each meatball in the flour and shake off any excess.

Place the meatballs on the baking dish, put into the oven, and bake for 16 minutes, or until done. If you made them smaller, bake for 8-10 minutes.

To serve, spread a little sauce on a plate and set the meatballs in the sauce, or alternatively, line them down a plate with a small bowl of sauce to dunk them in.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe! More coming from my cookbook, Cuisine Nicoise….see you next week!!!! Hillary