"She's Sicilian," Montalbano said. "And good luck making the meatballs. My sister and I had to watch her for years." At that point, I didn't understand what could be confusing about a meatball recipe.

Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Megan Hedgpeth. The name, Ultimate Veggie Meatballs, was given to this recipe before it was created. It was still a vision, really, an intention to ...