Meatballs Bolognese with Lemon Cream

Some people love to make bread as a great stress reliever.  They wax poetic about the feel of the dough, the smell of the yeast, the rhythm of the kneading.  It's not that I don't believe them but I'm not a very successful bread baker.  Just ask Mr. Rosemary.  But cook I can.  And I get what I imagine is that kind of bread-making nirvana (is it like a runner's high?) from making meatballs.

I love digging my hands into the fresh, seasoned mixture of meat and bread crumbs and then shaping (mostly) round orbs and seeing my artwork grow geometrically on my parchment lined-cookie sheet. (I make designs as I go.) There's garlic, freshly chopped onions, Romano cheese and fragrant parsley wafting in the air.  I get into the rhythm of rolling the balls, concentrating only on making them all the same size, and letting myself drift into a lazy daydream about whatever floats into my head. Soothing. Comforting.

I rarely experiment too much with meatballs. And I rarely consult a recipe.  I've made meatballs so many times, I can easily eyeball everything, or use whatever is on hand or need to use.

And "using up" some celery and carrots is what inspired this version I decided I might as well call bolognese.  That may not be the authentic use of the term but since it included the veggies, it seemed to make sense to christen this creation bolognese.

I love the slight crunch of the carrots and celery, which were cooked only when baked in the oven. I never used to bake meatballs.  My mother taught me to saute them in oil on the stovetop.  But I always had trouble keeping them nice and round, and ended up with triangular-shaped balls.  So I began to bake them, turning them once during a roughly half-hour baking in a moderate oven.  And if I put them on a rack, then I can drain any extra fat, too.

I do poach little meatballs in chicken stock when I make wedding soup and a friend recently told me that her husband, the cook in their family, poaches meatballs in beef broth before adding them to a tomato sauce.  And I know lots of people who slow cook meatballs right in the simmering tomato sauce. Meatballs are so versatile, aren't they?

When I make meatballs I usually make a lot more than I need and freeze some; they're very handy for a quick meal.  I freeze them on a cookie sheet then seal them in plastic bags.  Very handy and quick thawing for a fast food meal at home.

A couple things make this not-your-average meatball:  I mixed hot sausage with lean ground beef (half and half) and added fair amounts of carrots, celery and onions.   The lemon cream sauce was a nice surprise with the meatballs; they simmered just a couple minutes while in the sauce, just long enough for the cheese to delicately infuse it.

Bolognese or not, it's a new "recipe" to be repeated.

Meatballs Bolognese with Lemon Cream
For Meatballs:
1/2 pound hot sausage
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup each finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
For Lemon Cream:
3/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
freshly grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If sausage isn't loose, remove from casing.  Mix the meats together in a large bowl and add the bread crumbs, egg, half and half, vegetables, cheese and parsley.  Mix completely, but don't handle too much.  Take golf ball sized hunks of the meat mixture and shape into balls.  (I like to use a small ice cream scooper --  the same sized one to portion chocolate chip cookies.)  Place meatballs on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet and cook for a total of about 25 to 30 minutes, turning once halfway through. Makes about 20 meatballs.
To make sauce, heat half and half, chicken broth and lemon juice to a simmer.  Place cooked meatballs in sauce to coat. Top with lemon zest.