Marcus Samuelsson’s meatballs with berbere meld flavors, cultures perfectly: Get the recipe
Marcus Samuelsson, chef, author and restauranteur behind New York City restaurants Red Rooster Harlem and the brand new Hav Mar in Chelsea, among others around the globe, knows good meatballs.
In fact, it was one of the first dishes he learned how to make. Samuelsson, who was born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden, first trained in the kitchen with family.
“My grandmother taught me how to cook and the first thing she taught me was meat(balls),” Samuelsson tells USA TODAY.
And now, he’s created a meatball recipe of his own inspired by his grandmother’s recipe. It’s packed with flavor thanks to cumin and berbere (an Ethiopian spice blend of chiles, cinnamon and fenugreek, among others) and served with sweet-and-savory Brussels sprouts.
“I feel like when you cook for your holidays — when I cook for my family for for the holidays — you want to channel your family,” Samuelsson says.
The full dish, chicken meatballs and berbere honey Brussels sprouts, will be published as part of “A Taste of Welcome: A Celebration of Diverse Food and Flavors,” a limited edition cookbook that will be available to order online starting Nov. 19 (for free, while supplies last).
He describes the Brussels sprouts, dressed with berbere and honey, as “crispy beautiful, salty, sweet” with a cracker crumble that makes the dish “that much better.”
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