World Meatball Day is March 9th, but today is my meatball day because it's the day I finally got my recipe together and took a pic and typed then uploaded it for you all!
By the way, when I post recipes I keep the whimsical musings until AFTER the recipe stuff, but I do hope you read. This recipe is for vegan meatballs but my story involves my childhood so there's mention of non-vegan cooking.
I'd describe this meatball recipe as very soft and tender - and well-spiced! It's a bit of a shortcut recipe as it doesn't involve dicing any garlic, onion, or vegetables.
Hogaboom's Meatballs
1 16 oz block firm tofu
1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
2 1 lb. package beyond beef
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax seed meal whisked with 1/4 cup water, allowed to sit five minutes)
2 tablespoons nooch
2 tablespoons freeze dried parsley
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons onion powder, ground
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 - 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Olive oil for frying
Serves 8.
Press the tofu, then shred it in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients - make sure you don't have any onion powder chunks! - and form into balls slightly smaller than a ping pong ball (a little smaller if you're making say, a wedding soup). Place on parchment paper and bake in oven at 350 F for twenty five minutes. Remove, then fry until well-browned. Add to sauces or dishes.
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OK so what's the deal with me and meatballs.
My mother cooked more than my father did, but I have more memories of my father at the stove. I think that is because he was far more limited in scope: he made a few very simple dishes, consistently and well. I don't know if I ever saw him try a "new recipe" in my life.
Neither of my parents made meatballs, or if they did - it was a rare occurance. I remember my father's "spaghetti" - he'd fry up cheap ground beef (very greasy), chopping it in the pan as it browned. He'd drain the oil a bit then add chopped garlic as the beef browned (by the way, here's some recent drama re: garlic and Italian fare). When the garlic was cooked down he'd add one can exactly of whole tomatoes, one can of tomato sauce, and one small can of tomato paste - then simmer for about an hour. I'm sure he added salt, pepper, and oregano, but I don't know if he added anything else. And in case you're wondering, we served the noodles and sauce separately, in big pans so you could select the ratio you wanted.
I didn't love my family's cuisine (although my mother's salads are legendary!) - but I learned some good things in watching my parents cook, and in eating their food. I think mostly I learned the joy of cooking and dining on from-scratch cuisine, and of sitting together as a family to enjoy it. We Hogabooms do a lot of from-scratch cooking, and we eat together every night. I also follow in a lot of cooking traditions from my Polish, Swedish, and (to a lesser extent) French Canadian heritage. I too favor simple ingredients, and I love to use fresh herbs, a few different spices, oil(s), salt and sugar a great deal.
When I started my own family, my partner and I weren't great at cooking and we were soon coping with income and food insecurity. I loved meatballs from the beginning. You could take an inexpensive pound of meat, and add a lot of veggies, herbs, spices, bread crumbs - that kind of thing - and make a pretty nutritionally, delicious, simple and substantial meal. I also loved that meatballs are just a little bit more effort than mashing all that ground beef into a sauce. I think one of the best ways for children to feel loved, is when they can look forward to sitting at a tidy table with food that has been lovingly prepared, and is served in an appetizing way. Meatballs and meatloaf (another favorite of mine for the same principles), making those dishes was a practice that felt grounding for me, as I struggled with the economic hardships of our young family life. It was something I could do; it was something that would turn out just great.
The four of us have been vegan about seven years now which means cooking has been even more fun, even more joyous. Revamping family favorites is an absolute delight, and has brought a lot more Creative spark to the kitchen. By the way if you're a non-vegan and you are asking, "why would a vegan want something like a meatball?" please walk to the nearest mirror, look deep into your own eyes, and deliver yourself a fierce clownslap!
Believe it or not I have several different meatball recipes - for instance I do something very different for Swedish meatballs! - but this recipe is a pretty good basic.
May it serve you well!