16 GROUNDCOVER NEWS FOOD Meatballs BEN FOSTER Groundcover contributor Ingredients 10 cloves garlic, minced 1 bunch parsley, chopped Olive oil 15 slices white bread, crusts removed Whole milk 5lb Ground beef 5 eggs, lightly beaten Fennel seeds, chopped/pulverized Salt Pepper Oregano Directions Saute garlic in olive oil for a few minutes. Add parsley and continue sauteeing for a minute or until wilted. Set aside and let cool to room temp. Prepare your bread paste. A feast for the eyes and ears as well as the stomach. Chop up the slices of bread and put them in a large bowl. Pour enough milk over the bread so that the bread is just saturated with milk. Mix with your hands to form a paste. If the bread is still swimming in milk just strain some of it out. You want something like oatmeal consistency. I usually give the fennel seeds a rough chop on the cutting board which invariably sends about a quarter of them flying into the abyss, so maybe crush them up with a mortar and pestle or pulse with a food processor or just leave them whole. Use a large bowl or some other container (I use a big hotel pan) for mixing the meatballs. Before we begin: Don’t over mix. Just get things well distributed. Overmixing your meatballs = tough and dry meatballs. Combine ground beef, bread paste, eggs, (room temp) garlic and parsley. Add salt, pepper, oregano and fennel Wednesdays in Ann Arbor: Free showers 1 0 a.m.-12 p.m.: First Baptist Church, Ann Arbor, 517 E Washington St. 48104 Free lunch 12 -1 p.m.: Liberty Plaza, Ann Arbor 310 S. Division Street, 48104 seeds to taste.* I usually throw this mix into the fridge for an hour or so to “set up” which makes meatballs easier to roll and stay together in the pan, but if you don’t have the time you can skip this step. Form the meatballs. I can’t really tell you how to do this. Develop your own special meatball forming routine. Mine ends with what looks like rolling some dice to sort of round off the edges of the meatball ... it's hard to put into words. Again, just like with mixing the meatballs, don’t overwork the mix by rolling the hell out of them to achieve the perfect spherical meatball shape. If you want perfectly round but terribly tasting meatballs just get the frozen ones from meijer. Just get a cohesive thing that resembles a meatball. Brown balls slowly in a pan with olive oil. I flip them after a couple minutes, my dad usually shakes the pan to get them to move around. If you have a pot of sauce going (check out the recipe from September 4) remove the meatballs while they still have a little ways to go and throw them in the sauce to finish cooking. *By “to taste” I mean, make a couple of test meatballs and adjust the seasoning after tasting those. Mine usually need more salt and more fennel seeds. Wednesdays in Ypsi: Free showers and laundry, 3-5 p.m.: First Presbyterian Church, Ypsilanti, 300 N Washington St. 48197 Free Dinner 5-6 p.m.: First Presbyterian Church, Ypsilanti, 300 N Washington St. 48197 SEPTEMBER 18, 2026 fed-up ministries SCHEDULE LiftUp Worship 6-7 p.m.: First Presbyterian Church, Ypsilanti, 300 N Washington St. 48197 Thursdays: Free lunch 2:30-4 p.m.: Peace Neighborhood HUB Center, 1515 S. Harris Rd., Ypsilanti 48198 Second Saturday of the Month: Free lunch, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Pullover Prevention Mutual Aid Fair. Rotating location, usually Ypsilanti. PHONE (734) 994 - 9174 • PEOPLESFOOD.COOP NATURAL FOODS MARKET & DELI 216 N. FOURTH AVENUE ANN ARBOR, MI MAKE MEALS YOU LOVE! Fresh ingredients to $5 OFF ANY PURCHASE OF $30 OR MORE One coupon per transaction. Must present coupon at the time of purchase. Coupon good for in-store only. No other discounts or coop cards apply. Not valid for gift cards, case purchases, beer or wine. 10/16/2026 OFFER EXPIRES 5/30/2026
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