Oliver (or can I call him Jamie? At this point, after so many recipes I’ve tried of his, I feel like we should be on a first-name basis) has pretty specific instructions in Jamie’s Italy to use Swordfish or Tuna (fresh, uncanned). However, sometimes a girl needs to think on her feet when her local Harris Teeter doesn’t seem to have any of those varieties, and instead I chose a steak-like Mahi Mahi, combined with a can of tuna, and the next thing I knew I had a bubbling pot of meat(fish)balls that was loved by all. Another amazing thing about these meatballs is that they have pine nuts (!) and cinnamon (!!) along with parsley and oregano and truly...I was in swoon-mode. So was everyone else at the Oscars viewing party I brought them to, where we had dishes like mine that I’d nicknamed “Moneyball Meatballs”, “Girl with the Dragon Rat-TATOO-ouille,” and “My Week With Marilyn Martini.” Aren't my creative friends super awesome? I think so.
These meat(fish)balls weren’t difficult but meatballs are of the more labor-intensive variety of food to make anyway…but you can’t blame them, it’s just in their nature what with the sauce-making, the fish-cooking, the ball-rolling, the pan-frying and such. But the effort put into these meat(fish)balls are worth the work, I promise. Even more than having meatballs on top of spaghetti, I’d prefer mine in a crusty/toasty loaf of bread, with-- who knows?--maybe some arugula tossed in and I’d call it a damn good day.
Here’s a sweet little throwback for you guys: let’s all remember our favorite meatball song from childhood:
On top of spaghetti,
All covered with cheese,
I lost my poor meatball,
When somebody sneezed.
It rolled off the table,
And on to the floor,
And then my poor meatball,
Rolled out of the door…
...and I forget the rest, but that comes with age too. In conclusion, enjoy Jamie's Amaze-Balls Meat(fish)balls!
