sesame-spiced turkey meatballs and smashed chickpea salad

like to tell you that Im just brimming with self-awareness, but, alas, theres just so I d much evidence to the contrarypretty much every boyfriend I had from eighteen to

twenty-seven and a shiny orange duvet that burned our eyeballs for six weeks before I admitted what a bad purchase it was and stuffed it in a closet where it still lives today that I wont bother. And Id like to tell you that at the wise old age of But didnt we just celebrate your thirtieth birthday last year? Ive become much more insightful as to my motives in and out of the kitchen, but here are these meatballs, telling me otherwise. I pulled the idea out of what I thought was thin air: tiny, intensely spiced turkey meatballs with a crisp edge. I knew they needed cumin, and coriander, and Aleppo pepper. I thought toasted sesame seeds would add a light crunch and nutty flavor. And I knew that, above all else, theyd sit on a bed of crushed chickpeas dressed with lemon and garlic and spices . Maybe youd even serve them in pitas. And it took me weeks, longer even, until I was going over the recipe and photos, to realize that, duh, thin air was actually a falafel stand. I turned one of the most beloved vegetarian meals on the planet into meatballs. You know, mostly. But what I really think we should talk about is this salad. Ive had my share of chickpea salads, most of which are, you know, chickpea-flavored, but this one, one I devised mostly as a complement to spicy meatballs, became my instant favorite. Sumac is a dark-red ground powder that tastes almost like a sour paprika and is used a lot in Middle Eastern cooking. Here, its dreamy, and adds an extra dimension to the tart lemon-garlic dressing. * * * yield: serves 4

1 pound (455 grams) ground turkey cup (40 grams) fresh breadcrumbs (from 1 to 2 slices sandwich bread) cup (60 ml) water 1 teaspoon table salt 1 large egg 2 garlic cloves, minced teaspoon ground cumin teaspoon ground coriander teaspoon Aleppo pepper Pinch of cayenne pepper, or teaspoon Aleppo red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons (15 grams) sesame seeds, toasted Olive oil, to coat pan

form meatballs

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl with a fork, breaking up the clumps of meat until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Form turkey mixture into 1-inch, or golf-ball-sized, meatballs, and arrange them on a tray. I find wet hands make it easier to form the meatballs and keep them from getting sticky.

cook meatballs

Heat a generous slick of oil in a large ovenproof saut pan. Brown the meatballs in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan or nudge them before they are nicely browned. These meatballs are soft, so use a gentle hand. Transfer the meatballs to a paper-towellined tray, and continue cooking in more batches until they are all browned. Discard the oil, and wipe all but a thin layer from the pan. Return all of the meatballs to the pan, and transfer to preheated oven. Bake until a thermometer reads an internal temperature of 160 to 165 degrees, or about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with smashed chickpeas (below).

smashed chickpea salad with lemon and sumac

* * * yield: about 2 cups salad 1 cups (440 grams) cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed Handful of pitted, halved, and very thinly sliced green olives teaspoon ground sumac, plus more for garnish Chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 small garlic clove, minced Pinch of cayenne pepper teaspoon table salt Olive oil Mix everything but the olive oil in a small to mid-sized bowl. Very lightly smash the chickpea mixture with the back of a fork or a potato masher. Youre not looking for a hummuslike pure, but something closer to a coarse chop, with a few smaller bits to hold it together. Dress the chickpeas with a drizzle of olive oil and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste.

cooking note
These meatballs are also excellent made with ground lamb.