I love meatballs. Lamb, pork, chicken, shrimp – you name it. LOVE meatballs. Like everyone, I have a couple of prized recipes I consider to be my favorites. As a matter of fact, my Poodle Becky Selengut and I constantly argue about who has the BEST lamb meatball recipe in the world. Mine is garlicky, minty and served in a fiery tomato sauce. Hers is amazing – Indian-influenced in a creamy tomato sauce, full of depth and heat -- it’s the second best lamb meatball ever ;) All of this said, I'm always on the hunt for new and interesting variations. Well, I found one. But first, some background…
I was thrilled to receive a review copy of Joel Robuchon’s new book last week, Food & Life. Like all of the books published by Assouline, it combines appealing recipes with some stunning photography. This book divides Robuchion’s magic into five main areas, focusing on not only the recipes but how they impact the wellness of your body and spirit. Normally such an approach would make me roll my eyes, assuming it was some new age woo-woo pass-the-quinoa-and-kale-salad-while-we-sit-around-the-drum-circle hippie book. It’s not that—it’s Robuchon. He was one of the chefs whose recipes formed the foundation of my French cuisine education when I was in culinary school. Here, combining his creativity and recipe development skills with Dr. Nadia Volf’s focus on the body, they’ve come up with an engrossing, vibrant book full of things I can’t wait to make. Oh, and lest you think it’s all healthy food, there are recipes for things like foie gras, pastas and tarts, seafood and meats. The book and accompanying recipes are grouped into The Magic Of Foods, Foods that Prevent and Foods That Cure, The Virtuosity of the Magician, Food and Climate, and Celebratory Dishes. Each of the recipes gives detailed instruction and discusses the impact on physical and mental well being.
The first recipe that caught my eye was the Meatballs with Tomato Sauce, and I vowed to make the dish the same night I received the book. It didn’t take long to throw this dish together, and I was intrigued by some of the Mediterranean spices he included in the recipe. The resulting dish was interesting, had great depth, and by adding the optional eggs to the pan, we had a delicious dinner. This recipe is definitely going into my repertoire for future repeats.
You can find more information on Food & Life directly on the Assouline site, linked here, or pre-order the book on Amazon.
And you should really try Becky's meatballs sometime. They're almost as good as mine.
