Author Notes
I love meatballs. All kinds. I even named my blog after them, Meatballs & Milkshakes. Most people think of meat or even chicken when they think of meatballs, but you can make so many other varieties. Lentil meatballs. Eggplant meatballs. Bacala meatballs. These ones though, may be my favorite of all. The Italian canned tuna mixes with all the traditional Sicilian flavorings to make succulent, aromatic, light little balls. I like them as an appetizer without pasta, but you could easily toss them with some linguine or penne and make it into a main course. Try them tonight, you won't be disappointed. —Meatballs&Milkshakes
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Ingredients
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1
can Italian tuna in olive oil, drained
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1/4 cup
dried currants
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1 cup
fresh breadcrumbs
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1
extra large egg
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1/4 cup
grated Parmesan
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1 tablespoon
toasted pine nuts
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1 tablespoon
chopped parsley
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1
garlic clove, minced
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1.5 teaspoons
ground cinnamon
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1 tablespoon
freshly squeezed orange juice, less than half an orange
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1 cup
marinara sauce, your own or store bought
Directions
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Good Italian or Spanish canned tuna is a must for this recipe, it's so much more flavorful and moist, especially when packed in olive oil. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl except the marinara sauce. Be careful not to completely break up all the chunks of tuna, you want some little chunks in the meatballs. Roll into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter.
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Gently add them to a non-stick pan with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom. They will be a little fragile, so don't try to move them more than you have to. Brown them well on the first side and then gently flip them with tongs. I specify an extra large egg because if you don't have enough egg in the mixture, they will fall apart more easily. However, even if a few fall apart, they are still very delicious and it thickens the sauce!
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Once they are browned on all sides, add the marinara sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve either on their own as an appetizer or toss with pasta!
I'm an ex-finance, nonprofit fundraiser by day and a (mostly) Italian cook and blogger by night. I love having friends over for dinner and my favorite evenings are when we spend them at home together cooking dinner and chatting. I'm an avid cooking show fan, and my favorite eating cities are New York, San Francisco, Paris, and Rome.
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