Chicken & Basil Meatballs

I am passionate about getting kids involved in food; from understanding where is comes from to cooking, trying new things and eating well. I really believe that getting kids into the garden, out to a farmers market, involving them in meal planning and allowing them to cook, helps to build a positive relationship with food, which is so important. In a world where we are seemingly obsessed with weight and being "fat" or "skinny" rather than being happy and healthy it's such an important thing. Not to mention the fact that cooking is an essential life skill, in my view, that everyone requires in order to live well.

So, here is a super simple, nutritious and delicious recipe that the kids will love getting involved in. They can make them and then enjoy eating them either hot or cold (great in a lunchbox!) afterwards. They can be served with pasta, with mash or wedges, with salad or coleslaw or just on their own. Kids will no doubt, like dipping them into some sauce which is fine by me! These meatballs use a few different fresh herbs which anyone can grow at home and are the perfect way to introduce the idea of freshly grown food to your table. Give them a go! And, just between you and me, big kids (of the adult variety) won't say no to them either.

Feel free to change up the veggies too if you like - I find the peas and corn are very child friendly and easy to use but you can also add in some grated carrot and/or zucchini, chopped mushies etc.

These can be easily popped into small mouths as a snack that will fill them up and are equally as good in a lunchbox enjoyed at room temp with a bit of tomato sauce or hummus to dip. Here we have whipped up a quick zucchini noodle (but feel free to go old school real spaghetti too!) to make them into a meal. You could add a quick tomato based sauce and warm the meatballs up with the sauce if you like also. So many options!

Herby Chicken Meatballs
makes 20+

Ingredients:
500g chicken mince
½ cup fresh basil leaves
½ cup fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup corn kernels (canned, frozen or freshly removed from the cob)
¼ cup peas (frozen)
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
½ cup fresh, packet or panko breadcrumbs*

Method:

Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Select Hot Air+Steaming/Combinatin Steam. Set the temperature to 230°C (or highest available). (For variable Steam setting set 25% or low) Allow to pre-heat.
Tear or chop the basil and parsley leaves into small pieces roughly.
Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until totally combined and a little bit sticky. (You can also use a stand mixer with the beater attachment). The more you mix the smoother your meatball texture will be. The mixture should stick together but not be too wet that they don't hold their ball shape- you can add a little more breadcrumbs until you get the right consistency.
With clean, damp hands roll heaped tbs of the mixture into balls. Place the balls onto the trays, leaving some space in between them to allow maximum airflow and browning.
Place the trays into the oven. Cook for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes check the meatballs. If not browned evough for your liking, give them a toss and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes or until your desired browning level is achieved.
Allow to cool slightly on the trays before serving as desired or allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

*for a gluten free version you can substitute breadcrumbs for some crushed gluten free crackers/dry biscuits or a few tbs of rice flour

Once cooked these can also be frozen, in a single layer, and once frozen, placed into a ziplock bag to store in the freezer. Warm through from frozen in a bubbling tomato pasta sauce or warm through from frozen using Hot Air+Steaming/Combination Steam at 180°C for around 15 minutes.

Happy Combi Steaming!

Yours in the kitchen,

The CSQ. x