Vegetable Balls

Vegetable Balls

Ingredients:
2 cups lentils du Puy (aka green French lentils)
¼ cup olive oil, plus lots more for greasing
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
½ pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 large eggs, at room temperature and lightly beaten
½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated (about 2 ounces)
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ cup packed fresh parsley leaves
½ cup chopped toasted pecans
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. To make the pilaf: Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the onion and cubanelle pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5
minutes. Stir in the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add in the
tomatoes, water, basil, salt, and black pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover,
reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the rice is tender and almost all the liquid has
been absorbed, about 50 minutes. Set aside, covered, for up to 30 minutes.
2. To make the vegetable balls: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Add the lentils, stir well, reduce the heat to medium, and boil until very soft, about 30
minutes. Drain in a colander set in the sink and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and fresh fennel
and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms and
cook, stirring often, until somewhat softened, even a little browned, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the rosemary, thyme, garlic, and fennel seeds. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring all
the while, then scrape the contents of the skillet into the bowl with the lentils. Cool for
15 minutes.
4. Stir in the eggs, cheese, panko, parsley, pecans, tomato paste, salt, and pepper until
well combined. Working in batches, scrape about one-third of the contents of the bowl
into a large food processor and puree until smooth, scraping down the interior of the
bowl at least once per batch. Scrape the puree into a second bowl and continue
processing more in batches until finished.
5. Position the rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400°F. Oil a large rimmed
baking sheet very generously.
6. Use wet, clean hands to form the puree into 32 oversized golf balls. Set these on the
prepared baking sheet and roll them around to coat all sides in the oil. Bake, turning
once, until browned and firm, about 20 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5
minutes.
7. To serve, divide the pilaf among 8 serving plates and top each with 4 veggie balls.
• AHEAD
•
Make the veggie balls up to 24 hours in advance without baking them. Store, covered, on their baking sheet
in the refrigerator.
•
Make the pilaf up to 30 minutes in advance. Store, covered, at room temperature.
• GARNISH
Sprinkle more finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano around the servings, as well as
minced basil leaves.
• A MENU
FIRST SMALL PLATE: Steamed Artichokes, Red Peppers, Basil