Israeli Turkey and Zucchini Meatballs: #5thdayThanksgivukkah

For me, Thanksgiving is the Turkey. Well...at least the most important part of the meal. It can make or break the best or worst sides and desserts. If the turkey was bad, you're having an extra helping of grandma's potato filling. But if it was good, people in my family will be talking about it for years to come, and bring it up unrelated conversations.

But, it occurred to me that some people celebrate small thanksgivings for one, two, or three people and don’t want to cook a huge turkey. And there are even people who don't like turkey! Zooey Deschanel I'm talking about you.

So for those people, I decided to include a recipe from the fabulous Jerusalem: A Cookbook, which has inspired me a lot throughout my Thanksgivukkah series. When browsing through the “meat recipes” section of this beautiful book, I only saw one turkey recipe: Turkey and Zucchini Burgers/meatballs. These babies are deliciously seasoned with cumin and spices, so they have enough flavor to be the star, but without competing with your impressive side dishes. It is Thanksgiving after all.

Courtesy of annkoffsky.com

This makes sense as Chicken and lamb are much more popular and available in Israel. Chicken recipes are found all over Jewish traditions for good reason. I’m sure many households will either adapt a family recipe for a turkey or just serve a roast chicken instead.

Well, I did neither. Ground turkey and turkey sausage, are two of my most used ingredients, so why not do something with those instead? If not, this a great recipe for say, the 4^th or 5^th day of Hanukkah, once Thanksgiving is over. 

I used turkey sausage for these meatballs, making them super moist and flavorful. Because of that I used less salt than in the original recipe. Also, watch carefully for doneness in this recipe as the meatballs will remain soft on the outside, even once done inside. If you use ground turkey instead, increase salt to 1 tsp. and reduce time in the oven to only 5-8 minutes. A mix of the two meats would also be delicious.

This recipe makes roughly 18 meatballs, perfect for a small Thanksgivukkah up to 4-5 people. If you are going larger and still substituting a main, simply double this recipe.

I served these meatballs with my Israeli couscous salad. A perfect match if I do say myself. But hey, I wouldn't be upset if you put these in a pita or on top of latkes either.

Israeli Turkey and Zucchini Meatballs

(Adapted from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi)

makes roughly 18 small meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb. turkey sausage, such as bratwurst, removed from casing

1 large zucchini, coarsely grated over box grater

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large free-range egg

1 tbsp. olive oil

¼ cup crushed matzo crackers or breadcrumbs

¼ cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp. fresh thyme, snipped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground roasted coriander

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

6-7 tbsp. oil, vegetable, canola, or sunflower for frying

Directions:

Preheat over to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the meatballs except frying oil. Gently mix together, then using your hands, shape roughly 18 meatballs. If too wet, add more breadcrumbs.

In a large frying pan, over medium heat, add oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Once oil is hot, working in batches, sear the meatballs on all sides. Cooking each once for about for minutes until golden brown and crispy. Add more oil if needed between batches.

Once seared, carefully transfer meatballs onto a baking sheet lined with foil and lightly greased. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until meatballs are just cooked through. Check after 10 minutes. Because the meatballs are made with sausage, they will be soft. They will be cooked when no longer pink and slightly firm. Check with thermometer if necessary.

Serve warm with chilled couscous salad,  or in pitas.

Enjoy!

What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving or Hanukkah food?