Serves a Crowd
Josef Centeno's Baked Meatballs with Sweet Spices
- Prep time 20 minutes
- Cook time 25 minutes
- Serves 4
Author Notes
We find ourselves coming back to Josef Centeno's comforting and delicious meatballs time and time again (along with lots of other Centeno recipes), as their unique blend of sweet, spice and umami always strikes the right chord. Whether it becomes your weeknight meal or something you could for a crowd, I promise it will turn heads and quickly become memorable on your palate, as well.
Adapted from Josef Centeno's book Baco. I like to serve with sauteed chard and cauliflower mash, though his original recipe serves it with sauteed kale and radishes, which is also fantastic. The original also offers garam masala as an alternate to berbere. Nice with a simple tahini sauce on the side (equal parts tahini, water and lemon juice with salt and garlic powder to taste) —alliemarie
Ingredients
-
1
large egg
-
2
garlic cloves, grated
-
3 tablespoons
white miso
-
3 tablespoons
whole milk
-
1 1/2 teaspoons
berbere spice
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1 teaspoon
salt
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3/4 ounce
pecorino (finely grated), about 3/4 C
-
3 tablespoons
panko
-
1 pound
ground beef
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2 tablespoons
dried currants or barberries
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400˚. Whisk egg, grated garlic, miso, milk, berbere and salt in a large bowl. Mix in pecorino and panko with a spoon until mixed. Add beef and currants and gently mix with your hands or a spoon until incorporated, being careful not to over mix.
- Working one at a time, scoop out 2 heaping tablespoons of mixture and make into a ball between your palms. Place on foil-lined rimmed baking sheets, spacing 2" apart. It should make ~15 meatballs. Bake until lightly browned on top (20-25 minutes).
- Tear meatballs in half and, if serving with sauteed vegetables, add to pan towards the end of cooking. Serve with rice or cauliflower mash.
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