Chicken Meatballs (green tomato sauce, crimini, mustard greens) 10

Prep:

meatballs – dewberry hills chicken thighs (with the skin).  Lightly seasoned with garlic, Aleppo, fennel and black pepper.  They contain dairy and gluten.

the sauce: green tomatoes are peeled and de-seeded.  The pulp removed from the middle is pressed and strained to create tomato water, which is reserved for a later use.  The remaining green tomato flesh is gently cooked in chicken stock and smoked garlic and a sachet of fennel.  Once cooked, the mix is passed through a food mill and cooled.  Mustard greens are briefly blanched in acidulated salt water, then dried and cooled.  The greens are pureed in the reserved tomato water.  On pickup, the tomato base is mounted with the mustard green puree.

Pick up: 

the mounted green tomato sauce is poured into a large cast iron.  The meatballs are seared and placed on top.  A small salad of chiffonade mustard greens, fresh baby parsley from the garden, sauteed mushroom, torn crouton and fresh shallot is placed in the middle.  (the croutons are torn Easy Tiger baguette sauteed slowly in butter.  Shallots are shaved to order.  The mushrooms are thin sliced and deglazed with a higher than normal amount of sherry vinegar).

** cast iron/ underliner/ spoon