Before we go any farther, I should tell you there is no meat in these “meatballs”. Yes, I know. Two vegetarian recipes in a row. No, I haven’t converted to a meat-free lifestyle. I’m still rocking the four veggie nights a week while hatching a Christmas plan that will likely include a porterhouse. I wrote extensively about my food philosophy in my last post, so I won’t get into it again today. But what I will do is tell you how freakin’ excellent this Spaghetti with Lentil Meatballs truly is. Yes, really. Yes, I know the name sounds like a sad vegan food joke from a 90s sitcom. But in spite of its descriptive name, this dish is not severely lacking in joy. Quite the opposite. I think it’s quite exuberant and I made a video to prove it to you.
When life or more specifically your weekly produce box, hands you beets pair them with Minty Lamb Meatballs and serve them on a bed of Whipped Feta. I know, far less quippy than the whole lemon to lemonade saying. I’m fairly certain they won’t be words to live by anytime soon. But these Minty Lamb Meatballs with their various accouterments could very well be gracing your table imminently. This is such a fabulous low key meal. Serving companions range from a variety of simple salads to the extremely chill bag of storebought pita. Like a little black dress, you can dress this meal up or down. And even if you’re full sloth come suppertime and add nothing to it, this platter still comes across as effortlessly elegant even if you’re far from it.
There are many meatballs on this blog. Some lamb, some pork and some with no meat at all. Strangely, the blog is devoid of the more traditional beef variety. I’m not sure why that is but I do intend to address the oversight at some point. But yes, Rhubarb & Cod is drowning in meatballs and that may seem like an odd fixation for a blog to have. But I think it makes a strange kind of sense. The meatball, in its most basic form, is devoid of personality. The starting protein of any kind of meatball is relatively bland. And onto that bland, unmolded clay, you can impart just about any flavor your restless, hungry brain can conjure. Case in point – these Butter Chicken Meatballs.
I know, I know, one should never mess with an Italian classic. And here I am with a big ol’ bowl of this Green Carbonara just begging you to come at me, bro! Many people consider Italian cuisine to be hallowed ground and, despite all appearances to the contrary, I agree with them. The beauty of Italian food lies in its simplicity. There’s nowhere to hide when your culinary tradition is ingredient-centric. Quality produce takes center stage with a minimal flourish and few enhancements. The restraint is admirable, but apparently, I can’t handle simple elegance.
