84-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 11, 1991
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Meatballs have always been an
easy and economical dish to make.
Now with your microwave oven,
cooking meatballs is also quick
and convenient Here are some
hints for success and two delicious
recipes for you to try.
First the meat. For meatballs,
extra lean ground beef (about 82
percent to 86 percent lean), gives
good results. The other added
ingredients, such as liquid (eggs,
milk, etc.) and starch (crumbs,
oatmeal, etc.) help keep the meat
juicy and tender. Meatballs made
with regular ground beef, some
times labeled hamburger, (about
70 percent to 76 percent lean)
shrink and produce extra fat to
drain off. (For microwaved ham
burgers and casseroles, I prefer
lean ground beef—about 77 per
cent to 81 percent lean because
it gives juicier results especial
ly with burgers.)
Other ground meats can be used
in meatballs. Ground pork is at
least 70 percent lean and contains
no seasonings. Usually it’s sold
fresh at the meat counter. Ground
turkey is found fresh in large
supermarkets or frozen in smaller
stores. Ground chicken (frozen),
combinations of ground pork and
turkey (frozen), and combinations
of beef and pork are also available
in some supermarkets.
All work well in meatballs.
However, meatballs made with
all-turkey, lighter color meats, or
combinations need some paprika
(or other dark seasoning) added
before cooking, or a colorful sauce
MICROWAVE
MINUTES
By JOYCE BATTCHER
stirred in after cooking to make
them look appealing. In addition,
meatballs made with ground turk
ey or chicken can taste “boiled,”
yet dried-out. To prevent this,
microwave poultry meatballs
uncovered until they are no longer
pink, but are well-done.
I’ve done a lot of experimenting
lately with combinations of
ground meats. My favorite combi
nation is: one-half pound each
extra lean ground beef, lean
ground pork and ground turkey.
My next favorite, which contains
less fat than the first, but still ends
up juicy and tender, is: three
fourths pound lean ground beef
and one-fourth pound ground
turkey.
Mix and shape the ground meat
mixture thoroughly but gently.
Use a fork or your hands to mix it
so the seasonings are evenly com
bined. Don’t use a heavy hand or
beat the mixture. Shape the mix
ture into balls by gently forming,
rather than pushing the mixture
together into tightly-packed
perfectly-round balls. Gentle mix
ing and shaping leads to tender,
juicy meatballs. Tough handling,
plus overcooking, or not enough
liquid in the uncooked mixture,
will give hard-as-bullets meat
balls. This is especially true with
very lean meat, like ground turkey
or even extra lean ground beef.
Meatballs cook fastest and most
evenly in a single layer. There
fore, a flat dish is best, such as an
BxB-inch dish for a pound of meat
or an 8x 12-inch dish for VA
pounds. To cover, used waxed
paper or the new Microwave
Wrap. They hold in some heat and
promote even cooking, without
steaming.
Small meatballs cook faster
than large ones. You may want to
drain regular ground beef. With
lean ground beef, lean ground
pork or ground turkey, the small
amount of fat and juices add flavor
to the meat, so usually are not
discarded.
Meatballs should be turned over
and rearranged so less-done ones
in the dish center are moved to the
outside edges and vice versa. Do
this about half-way through
cooking.
Barbecued Mexican
Meatballs
l‘/j pounds extra lean ground
beef*
V* cup quick oatmeal (not instant)
1 whole egg**
'/ cup finely chopped onion
2 to 4 tablespoons QA to 1 two
ounce can) chopped green chilis,
undrained
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoons cumin
'A teaspoons salt (optional)
VA cup prepared barbecue sauce
Vi cup thick, chunky prepared
mild salsa
'A to cup black olives
Place ground beef, oatmeal,
egg, onions and chilis in a mixing
bowl; sprinkle with chili powder,
cumin and salt, if used. Mix gent
ly, with a fork or hands until well
combined. Gently shape mixture
into about 30 meatballs. Place in
microwavable Bxl2 or 9x13-inch
dish; cover with waxed paper or
microwave paper. Microwave
(High) 4 minutes; turn meatballs
over and rearrange so less-cooked
ones are to outside edges of dish.
Re-cover and continue microwav
ing (High) 3 to 5 minutes or until
meatballs are no longer pink.
Drain, if necessary.
Stir together barbecue sauce,
salsa and olives; add to meatballs.
Cover with waxed paper or micro
wave paper. Microwave (High) 3
to 4 minutes, stirring once, or until
hot. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
To reheat: (For best flavor for
2’ or 4’ Hog
“Waffle Slats”
can be custom
made to any
length that is
suitable for
your bam.
2’ Hog “Waffle
Slats” only
weigh 25 LBS.
per sq. ft. so
you can carry
into existing
barn.
~ '
Kevctanr last Far«aerlyW« B<i. ' s
CONCRETE ( C A " tESLA, >
this and other meatball recipes,
make ahead, refrigerate and
reheat.) Cover dish with waxed
paper; microwave (High) 4 to 6
minutes, stirring once, until hot.
Each serving Vi th of recipe:
271 calories, 19g protein, 18g fat,
lOg carbohydrate, 693 mg sodium,
82mg cholesterol.
* Or use a combination of
ground meats, such as beef, pork
and turkey.
** Or use 2 egg whites.
StroganofT Meatballs
1 pound extra lean ground beef*
Vi cup finely chopped onion
Vi cup fine dry bread or cracker
crumbs
Vi cup milk
1 envelope (1.5 ounces) stroga
noff sauce mix, divided
Vi teaspoon salt (optional)
Vi teaspoon ground pepper
1 can (1014 ounces) “light” cream
of mushroom soup
Vi cup low fat dairy sour cream
1 can (4 ounces) sliced
mushrooms, drained
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Place ground beef, onion,
crumbs and milk in a mixing
bowl; sprinkle with half of stroga
noff sauce mix, salt, if used and
pepper. Mix gently, with a forte or
hands until well combined. Shape
mixture into 16 to 20 meatballs.
Place in microwavable BxB or
7xll-inch dish; cover with waxed
paper or microwave paper. Micro
wave (High) 3 minutes; turn meat
balls over and rearrange so less
HOG “WAFFLE SLATS”
7/8”, 1” or 1-1/4” Slot
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Contact Us For Complete Details On Heifer Cattle,
Hog And Free Stall Barns
cooked ones are to outside edges
of dish. Re-cover and continue
microwaving (High) 2 to 3
minutes or until meatballs are no
longer pink. Drain, if necessary.
In a separate bowl, stir together
soup, sour cream, mushrooms,
Worcestershire sauce mix and
remaining stroganoff sauce mix.
Stir soup mixture into meatballs;
cover with waxed paper or micro
wave paper. Microwave (High) 4
to 6 minutes, stirring twice, or
until hot If desired, sprinkle with
chopped fresh parsley before serv
ing. Makes 4 to 5 servings.
serving l/sth of recipe:
4u> calories, 25g protein, 22g fat
25g carbohydrate, 856 mg sodium,
83mg cholesterol.
Questions for Joyce?
Do you have a question about
microwave cooking? Send it to
Microwave Minutes, % Extra
Newspaper Features, P.O. Box
6118, Rochester, Minn. 55903.
Please include a self-addressed,
stamped, business-size envelope.
Recipes in this column are
tested in 600- and 650-watt micro
wave ovens. With an oven of dif
ferent wattage output, timings
may need slight adjustment.
Joyce Battcher is in indepen
dent home economist microwave
specialist. She is author of
"Microwave Family Favorites”
and editor of “A Batch of Ideas”
newsletter.
©1991 Extra Newspaper
Features
Large
percentage of
opening Keeps
slats clean and
dry.
“Waffle Slats”
are uniform and
easy to install
“Waffle Slats”
can be under
cut so it can
replace existing
steel slatted