Meatballs in Sauce

Whether with pasta, at the end of a cocktail fork, or in a sub sandwich, meatballs are fun additions to your cooking repertoire. While they require a good amount of preparation ahead of time, they stew well, hold their shape, travel easily, and are easy to scale for bigger or smaller groups. This weekend I chose to serve them as an appetizer, parked in my slow cooker and making the room fragrant and inviting.

Sauce
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
stems from oregano, parsley, thyme, sage (or a teaspoon of each if you're using dried)

1. In a large pot, add two tablespoons of olive oil and heat over high. 
2. Fry the onion until translucent
3. Add the tomato paste and garlic. Fry until fragrant
4. Add the carrot and celery and cook until softened.
5. If using a slow cooker, transfer vegetable mix to the crock pot.
6. Add the herbs and the crushed tomatoes.
7. Cover and allow everything to be happy together.

Meatballs
60 1-inch diameter meatballs, served 10 people.

1.5 slices white bread
1/3 cup milk
2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup parsley minced
1/4 cup basil, minced
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons oregano
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
3 mozzarella sticks, diced into ~1/4 inch cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Make panade: shred the bread into the milk. Let it soak for 20 minutes+ to get goopy and break down into small chunks. The panade is the glue that holds the meatball together. It gives the meatballs moisture and heft. I think it also makes the meatballs more mild, soft, and plyable
2. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, eggs, onion, garlic, herbs, ketchup and hoisin
3. Squeeze the bread/milk panade so you remove excess milk. Crumble the panade into a thick pasteand mix into the meat bowl. Discard the extra milk.
4. Get your hands in there - Mix around so all the bits are distributed evenly. Add half the salt and pepper, mix mix mix. If you see extra small white bits of panade, squish it some more.
5. Feel the texture - is the mix sticky and plyable like play doh? That's good. Does it crumble apart (too dry or your onion/garlic is too big)? Add another egg or more ketchup. Does it drip (too wet)? Add some breadcrumbs or more meat.
6. Take a dollop and send it to the frying pan with some hot oil. Make a little patty or ball and cook through. Taste test. Does it need more salt? More pepper? As cooked, is it too "tight" or "loose"? (Tight meaning add more egg/liquid, loose meaning add more bread or meat.)
7. Adjust for any additional salt, pepper, herbs, and texture. Remember that the meatballs will be in sauce later, so consider the sweet tangy sauce in your taste test. Don't start rolling until you're happy!
8. When you get to a mixture you like, start rolling the balls. I like to take a tablespoon of meat mix, make a patty in my hand, put a cheese cube in the middle, and seal the cheese with the meat. Roll into a ball and put it on a plate for now. 
9. When you have enough to fill a frying pan, heat the pan with a tablespoon of olive oil on high. Fry the meatballs, making sure to sear all the sides and so they're cooked through (or mostly through.) This step ensures the meatballs stay in their round little shapes when you transfer it to the sauce. 
10. Transfer the meatballs (not the olive oil!) to the slow cooker/pasta pot. allow to stew together for at least an hour so the flavors mingle and so the sauce takes on the meaty flavor!
11. If serving with pasta, prepare pasta to directions, until al dente. Transfer drained pasta to a saute pan. Add in a few ladles of the pasta sauce so the pasta and sauce can stick to each other. Plate and add additional sauce and meatballs on top. Top with parmesan.
12. If serving as a sandwich, toast some bread, slice it down the center, and add your meatballs. Top with enough sauce to keep sandwich together. Add some mozzarella on top. Maybe some red chili flakes or basil too. 
13. If serving as a side, plate meatballs with just a little bit of sauce. Add some festive toothpicks and garlic toast on the side.

Green California Hummus

A friend introduced me to "California hummus" at a local restaurant called Pita Grill, which is a small NYC chain with California Mediterranean flavors. The California hummus is so good, I haven't bothered to check out the rest of the menu. I'm hooked on it. And I decided the only way to cure myself was to try making it on my own!

California hummus is green, herby, but also has that warm nourishment that comes from chickpeas. It doesn't feel as heavy as a typical hummus, but it still carries its weight as a tasty dip at your next event, or mixed with chicken salad. Nom nom!

California Hummus
Serves 4 as a side dish

1 16 oz can chickpeas (garbanzos)
2/3 cup chopped cilantro (stems okay)
1/3 cup chopped parsley (stems okay)
1 jalapeno, chopped (seeds optional)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
2. In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and spices.
3. Using a hand blender or food processor, add half the olive oil and pulse to blend. continue adding olive oil as needed to get the desired consistency.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
5. Serve with carrot chips, celery, pita chips, over grilled chicken, with falafel, wrapped in an omelette...
6. Optional add ins can include red pepper, spinach, cheeses - go crazy.

Ricotta Pasta Salad

The summer is here and that means time with friends and family - pot lucks, beaches, barbecues! That means hotdogs, hamburgers, coleslaw, wings, and potato salad. The All-American cookout.

A dear friend asked me to bring a pasta salad as a side to her barbecue. Of course, I'll be happy to bring what ever you need. Rather than opt for a traditional mayonnaise based salad,  I decided to get creative and stick to my cooking mantra.  Fresh is always better. And unfortunately, nothing spoils a picnic like lukewarm egg products. I decided that ricotta would make a more stable dish. I modeled my dish after the classic Caprese salad, with fresh soft cheese, cherry tomatoes, and basil. Baby spinach lightens the mix of flavors and adds a crunchy texture to the otherwise soft dish.

Ricotta Pasta Salad
Serves 10

1 pound dry pasta, orchiette preferred (I used shells but they tended to roll into each other) 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
8 ounces baby spinach, chopped
16 ounces ricotta
Three handfuls fresh basil leaves, minced (yes, that looks like a lot)
One garlic clove minced
5 sprigs fresh oregano or parsley, minced

1. Slice tomatoes in half, sprinkle with salt and a little sugar and place in a colander to drain excess water.
2. Prepare pasta in salt water as directed until cooked to desired softness
3. Chop spinach and place in the bottom of the serving dish
4. Slice and mince all other ingredients until pasta is done.
5. Drain pasta, and immediately transfer to serving dish, to cover the spinach (this wilts the spinach to take some of the rawness out.) Stir to incorporate.
6. Spread the ricotta over the top, allowing the cheese to melt a little.
7. Mix in the herbs and garlic into the ricotta a little at a time to control herb intensity.
8. Season the dish with salt and pepper liberally, and to taste.
9. Serve cold, room temperature, or hot (if you like creamy sauces).

Parsley Pesto

Maoz is a falafel chain down the street from my office. The falafel aren't my favorite, but they have a vegetable topping bar that is vegetarian heaven! One of my favorite toppings is roasted broccoli and cauliflower with a spicy parsley sauce on top, maybe mixed with some hummus. It's fresh, tasty, and packed with flavor. Since cauliflower and broccoli were on sale this week, I figured I should try my hand at making it myself.

The roasted veggies were easy. Line a tray with aluminum foil, toss with olive oil and maybe some spices and salt, roast for an hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Done.

The parsley sauce would be more complicated. Its a watery sauce, bright green, with flecks of dried chile pepper. Moaz has a picture here.I knew it was obviously parsley, something spicy, but I wasn't sure about the rest. What I ended up with was not really Maoz, but more of a parsley sauce pesto medley that softened the heat (I added way too much jalapeno) but ended up being a great hearty sauce at the end. It ended up not being very spicy at all!

Parsley Pesto, inspired by Maoz
Yields 3/4 cup sauce (which will last me a week and a half)

Special equipment: Food processor or blender

1 bunch parsley, chopped roughly
a few spoons of water
1 tablespoon roasted garlic
1 jalapeno, chopped, no seeds
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
12 almonds

1. Place all the parsley in the blender and add a teaspoon of water. Blend until pureed. You may have to add more water, but only add a tiny bit at a time. We don't want watery sauce.
2. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and parmesan. Blend.
3. Add the almonds a few at a time until you reach a consistency where the sauce isn't separating out the water any longer, or until at desired spiciness.
4. Enjoy on roasted veggies, steaks, fish, pita chips, and anything else that needs a bright green kick!

Simmered Kabocha Pumpkin Squash

Kabocha was surprisingly on sale at the supermarket this week. Kabocha is a Japanese pumpkin or squash that has a firm, dense texture and sweet flavor. It is a common side dish to bento boxes and appetizers. I've even seen it used in desserts.

I tried to replicate the Japanese side dish a few times with butternut or calabeza squash, but they're both too watery and fine for the dish to work. Kabocha is so dense that it holds its texture super well.

I modified today's recipe from Lunch in a Box, who makes lots of really adorable bentos! I didn't have mirin or dashi on hand, but felt I could do without with a little genius. My kabocha came out super tasty.

Simmered Kabocha Pumpkin 
Makes 6 side dish servings

1 kabocha squash (about 2 lbs)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cardamom pods
1 large pinch red chile flakes
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 squares konbu (seaweed) totaling 6 square inches
3 coins ginger
2 cups water

1. Wash the kabocha, scrubbing lightly. The skin is edible, so it needs to be nice and dirt free.
2. Take a sharp vegetable peeler and cut stripes of the skin off of the kabocha. By making sure each piece has a little flesh exposed on the bottom, we boost the flavor!
3. Using a large, heavy knife, like a cleaver or chef's knife, carefully cut the kabocha in half. This is a little more difficult than cutting a watermelon open - it will have a good amount of resistance, so be patient and CAREFUL.
4. Scoop out the seeds and the stringy bits. Discard.
5. Cut the kabocha into 1-2 inch cubes. Try to be uniform!
6. In a large bowl, pour in a cup and a half of water, the soy sauce, and all the spices and seaweed. Mix gently. 
7. We need to cook the kabocha in a single layer. In a deep frying pan or pot, arrange the kabocha, skin side down in a single layer. I ran out of space and put some on top, but it meant I really had to make two batches.
8. Pour the sugar/soy/water mix over the kabocha. Place over high heat. Cover with a pot lid that is smaller than the diameter of the frying pan, so that the lid pushes down on the squash and allows steam to escape from the sides (AKA a drop lid)
9. When the liquid is at a roiling simmer, turn the heat down to a slow simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until a fork goes easily through the squash. 
10. You may have to remove some squash and rotate around the not as well cooked pieces.
11. Drain the remaining liquid and reserve (would be tasty if you turn the leftovers into mashed sweet kabocha!). Allow kabocha to cool.
12. Om nom nom.

Baked Sweet Potato with Banana

Nothing says autumn like the smel of warm cinnamon wafting out of the kitchen after coming in from a nippy day. I love whipping up this easy side dish to get the oven going. Also makes a great breakfast!

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Banana
Serves 4 as sides

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
1 ripe banana cut in one inch pieces (feel free to substitute for apples or pears)
1/4 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1/4 inch grated ginger
1.5 tsp cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 generous squirt of honey
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup slivered almonds to top

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Prep the sweet potatoes, banana, and cranberries. Toss into a glass baking dish, preferably one with a cover. I used a 9 inch round glass dish with 2 inch sides.
3. Top with the brown sugar, cinnamon, clove, ginger, and honey. Stir to incorporate.
4. Add 1/4 cup water
5. Cover with aluminum foil or the cover.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.
7. Stir contents to re-incorporate the sugars. Covering the baking dish should have made the sweet potatoes cook mostly through.
8. Top with the almonds and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.
9. Cool for 5 minutes prior to serving.

Scallion Pancakes

A staple Chinese snack, often eaten at dim sum, is the green onion pancake, or scallion pancake. The origins of the humble pancake are rather uncertain, but the sweet and salty crunch make this an undeniable treat! The method is very similar to making parathas, which is an Indian style flatbread. Basically, the key to the bread is creating many layers to add air, dimension, and texture. With parathas, you would do this by rolling out a circle, coating the top in oil, then crimping the dough like a paper fan (before you unravel it). With the scallions, we roll the dough into a flat circle, add the sesame oil and scallions, then roll the circle together.

Thanks to the following blogs, who have great pictures and helped me formulate my recipe! Live2Cook, Tigers and Strawberries, and Appetite for China. I totally recommend visiting one or a few of them because they've photographed the rolling and folding process so you can do it too!


Scallion Pancakes makes 15 4-inch pancakes
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup HOT water
3 large scallions, chopped finely. Try to get scallions with much more green than white. Although the whites are useable, they do not impart as sweet a flavor as the green.
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sesame oil (or vegetable oil)
1 tbsp vegetable oil for frying

1. Mix the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the hot water in slowly - a few tablespoons at a time. Mix slowly with a spatula (its hot water - using your hands is not a bright idea) until all water is incorporated and you have a ball of dough. 
2. Knead well until smooth (I had a lot of uneven flour). Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rest for one hour. Make sure you push the plastic wrap or towel right up to the dough so a skin doesn't form. The heat will allow the dough to rise and continue smoothing out.
3. When the dough is finished resting, cut off a ping pong sized ball of dough. Roll between your palms into a ball and place on your baking mat. Dab a drop of sesame oil onto the top of the ball and brush a little onto your rolling pin. Roll out the dough into a thin circle (about 4-5 inches).
4. Brush the top of the circle with sesame oil - just a mere layer, you don't need a lot.
5. Sprinkle scallions over the top into a thin layer.
6. Roll the circle up into a rope, then coil into a flat jelly roll, or cinnamon roll.
7. Flatten with your palm and brush the top of the coil with a tiny bit more sesame oil.
8. Roll the coil out into a 4 inch circle. It should not be thinker than 1/4th of an inch.
9. Place on plastic wrap or waxed paper, cover, and keep rolling!
10. To cook, heat 1 tbsp oil in a nonstick pan. When hot, reduce heat to medium, and place the pancakes in the pan, but make sure they aren't touching. Make sure to wiggle them a little so you're sure they don't stick.
11. When the edges become translucent, go ahead and flip them over. They should develop nice brown toasty spots on either side.
12. Serve with soy sauce mixed with a little bit of sriracha and sesame seeds! Or make a sandwich with egg in the middle. Enjoy!