Meatballs in Pasta Nests
August 29th, 2007 by
Chef Mom
I thought this meal was destined to fail before I even started cooking it. I couldn’t find any vermicelli nests at any of my local markets. They also don’t carry fresh fennel.
I decided to use regular vermicelli noodles and to use small individual casserole dishes to simulate the “nests”. A little online research revealed that fennel seed (crushed) and celery could be substituted for the fresh fennel. Unfortunately I didn’t pick up any celery at the store. A little more research led to the discovery that yellow squash goes well with fennel. So I substituted 1 tsp fennel seed and 1 cup of finely diced yellow squash for the fennel called for in this recipe. You could also substitute cucumber or zucchini and it would be very tasty.
Pretty much everyone liked this meal. Steve thought the noodles needed more butter or oil and Violet wasn’t thrilled with the vegetable topping but she did like the noodles and meatballs. It has a very interesting (but tasty) flavor. I wouldn’t make this every week but I think it will be an occasional addition to our menu.
Meatballs in Pasta Nests
Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook
1 lb ground Veal or Lean Beef
1 slightly beaten Egg
1/4 cup Bread Crumbs
1 tsp dried sage, crushed
3 large cloves Garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
6 dried Vermicelli Nests*
2 T snipped Fennel tops*
1 cup Fennel Bulbs, finely diced*
2 T finely shredded Lemon Peel
1 cup Onion, finely diced
1 cup Carrots, finely diced
1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf Parsely, snipped
For the meatballs, in a large bowl combine egg, bread crumbs, sage, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Add ground meat; mix well. Form the mixture into 36 meatballs about 1 inch in size.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add meatballs, cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, turning to brown all sides. Remove meatballs, reserving drippings in skillet. Cover meatballs and keep warm.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the vermicelli nests according to the package directions. Add 2 tablespoons of Fennel tops and 1 tablespoon of Lemon peel to the cooking water. Carefully remove nests to a colander to drain. Cover pasta and keep warm.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to drippings in skillet used for meatballs. Add chopped onion, fennel bulb, carrots and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon peel.
To serve, place pasta nests on serving plates. Spoon meatballs into nests. Spoon vegetable topping over meatballs and pasta.
*I made substitutions for these ingredients