As we have mentioned before, when we are at anchor we try to grill all of our meals.  Well this last trip we took that to a new level and decided to barbecue meatballs — why not??
Besides being great fun it was a delicious success!

What you need:

1 pound ground turkey (dark meat will be juicier and more flavorful)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 cloves minced garlic
salt

What you do:

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your hands. Using wet hands or a small ice cream scoop, form the meat mixture into small bowls.  Heat a cast iron pan on the grill (medium heat) and brush with a little olive oil. Place the meatballs in the pan and grill until cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Of course, you could instead cook the meatballs in a 375 degree oven for the same amount of time.

Spoon some tomato sauce over the meatballs and continue to cook for another 10 minutes.

I make a quick tomato sauce by sauteing a couple of minced garlic cloves in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, just until they start to brown. Then add one can of tomatoes (crushed in a food processor) and fresh chopped basil.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.  If you’re cooking the meatballs inside you can add them directly into the sauce until they are heated through.