[beppe]

Poached meat balls (tiny)
It was the first time that I ventured in this classic of the Northern Cuisine (my Austrian grand mother made a delicious clear soup with tiny leberknodels).

Ingredients (in the order of application)
1 pound minced pork meat
1+1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
50 g oatmeal (I used rolled oats)
1-1/12 cup of milk
1 onion
1 clove of garlic (optional)
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp powdered coriander (make 2 and it will be even better)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
- In a sizable bowl, mix the meat with the salt and let it rest while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. This is the first of the two key passages to develop a full flavor.
- In the mean time I grate the ginger (I have the professional microplanes, for this I use the fine one) and reduce to fine powder the coriander grains in the spice blender.
- My trick is to stick blend the onion and the garlic with the milk.
- I mix everything with a wooden spoon. Taste and adjust by adding a bit of milk or of oats.
- I put the bowl in the fridge to rest for half an hour, while I prepare the cooking brine, I prepare the sauce, work on the other elements of the dinner and put in order the working space. At this point I had a small glass of Gewurtz Traminer, that I intended to serve with the meal and wanted to make sure that it was apt to my sophisticated guests (the girls, who else?). It was, so I had a second glass, always small. BTW, making the stuff rest is the second key passage to the development of the full flavors.

Cooking
I set up a large pot with a lot of water, slightly salted. I put it to boil, then I moved it on the smallest fire, so that it simmered as gently as possible. This is critical. If you poach in boiling water, the meat balls will dissolve.

Than with the aid of a small spoon, I make little balls, the size of a cherry tomato, and kindly slided them in the simmering water. I do about 1/3 of the stuff at a time. Let it go for about 6 minutes. My little balls did not disintegrate and actually started to float. Take them out with a spoon and put them in a bowl. Repeat with the second batch and then with the third one. When you are finished, you can put them back in the salted water, without fire, so that they keep warm. The great thing about this way of cooking is that everything can be done calmly and without hustle. Nothing is critical, except that the water should not be boiling. That's all.

Finishing them
I made a sauce to go with them. Actually they are grim looking and unappetizing, little gray, naked things. They would look better in a soup of course, or well robed in a luscious sauce.

I made a sort of oriental sauce. Fried in oil some finely chopped onion and garlic, 2 tsp of curry powder, 2 tsp of coriander powder and 1 bay leaf. I then mixed in it a small pack of coconut milk. Brought it to a gentle boil. Made it more dense with a small amount (2 tsp) of starch, added some of the salted water. Adjusted with a dash of fish sauce and few drops of lemon juice. Fantastic look, flavor and texture.

Serving them

I made steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes (the last one for the girls, so that if they disliked the unusual dish, they could resort to their beloved Parma ham, salami, frankfurters or even a bit of cheese, the creatures, I could always cook a fast omelet for them).

I put some meatballs in the pot with sauce and very cautiously enrobed them.
Some I left unseasoned for Little Girl ( I gave her a dash of ketchup that she adores) and maybe for BigGirl that is quite reluctant to my cooking extravaganzas. She is very open minded on all aspects of life, except for food where she really prefers a sandwich of salami and a glass of red. But I do not let myself become discouraged. Imagine.

A big succes. Maybe just a bit too soft. Next time I will cook the little meat balls a bit more.
Comments on the sauce. The coconut milk is a great smoother and binder of flavors. The sauce could be anything that goes well with the spices in the meatballs. This time it was curry. But it could have been all spices, both in the meatballs and in the sauce. Next time I will go in the parsley direction and use more Mediterranean flavors, like thyme, star anise, or French with estragon and why not blue cheese. Porcini? I loved this poached approach. It is a bit of work, but it makes a lovely dish without frying. Overall count about 1 hour of time.