Classic home cooking

There is nothing better than home cooked comfort food.  Recently I went with some friends to a place called The Meatball Shop which is located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  Along enjoying spending time with friends the food was awesome!  As the name suggests they make meatballs, but not just any meatballs, they make the BEST meatballs and sauces that are just divine. 

My friend opted for the classic dish which is four good sized beef "balls" with classic marinara sauce and a side of greens.  Her BF ordered the special which was, get this, RUEBEN style "balls" yes my friends, it was pork, corned beef and sauerkraut with Russian dressing on top, UNBELIEVABLE, I have to learn to make this dish.  As for me, the indecisive one, I went for the meatball sliders so I could sample different sauces and ball styles (gosh that sounds wrong....haha).  I ordered the spicy pork, chicken and classic balls along with the Parmesan cream sauce, pesto sauce and classic marinara sauce.  Now I don't have an absolute favorite but the spicy pork definitely stands out in my mind and on my pallet.  I had a side of creamy home made pollenta, quite nice but the meatballs were the star of this meal.

Since the place also makes their own ice cream and cookies we had to try them too, we split an espresso ice cream and chocolate cookie sammie, it was delightful but again I say it was really a meatball kind of meal.  

With this meal still fresh in my mind i decided to make a pot of sauce and some good down home classic meatballs.  I don't have a set recipe and like to switch things up here and there, the basic idea remains the same though.

Here is what i did for the sauce, whenever i have fresh ingredients I always opt for that:

Couple of cans of diced tomatoes (I use fresh when i have them on hand)
Small can tomato paste
Oregano
Parsley
Basil (I had fresh on hand so I minced and used that)
Garlic (don't be shy about this)
To cut the acidity you can add a carrot and pull it out when the cooking is done
Opt A. Splash of balsamic vinegar
Opt B. splash of red wine

Cook slow and low until the desired thickness and flavor is acquired.


Here is the basic meatball recipe I used.
1 lb. ground sirloin (90% lean)
1/2 C seasoned bread crumbs
oregano
parsley
basil (again fresh minced)
1-2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
this recipe also recommended onions but i took them out because they made the balls too lumpy.

Mix and ball the meat up.  Here's the twist that a lot of people are afraid to do and end up affecting the finished product.  Put the uncooked balls DIRECTLY INTO THE SAUCE!!!  It will not kill you, but browning those balls either stove top or in the oven first will kill the flavor of the balls.  The sauce gets hot like boiling water and will kill any possible bacteria that the meat may have.  Give it a try, you will notice such a delicious difference.

I have lots of ideas for other meatball recipes after being at the Meatball shop so stay tuned for more delicious ideas on this finest of comfort foods.

Ta ta
~CM

Pesto II

I made pesto back in September and wrote about it. BUT I did not make it from basil that we grew for the past few months. We finally trimmed our basil tree (yes, it became a tree) this morning and I pulled out the old food processor to make some pesto. The basil was great the kitchen smelled intoxicating as I was pruning the"tree".  I think I am so partial to this batch because it has been a labor of love from our little kitchen garden.  I mean the thing got so bit some leaves got burned by the grow lights and our other plants are all midgets because they have been starved for light!  I used almost the same recipe as last time but substituted pecorino romano cheese instead as I like the sharp bite and saltiness it brings to the table.

The pesto turned out GREAT, it was bright green in the processor once mixed, in my opinion good pesto, like a good piece of beef or fine wine needs to rest and the ingredients need to blossom prior to being completely enjoyed. I let it sit for a bit about 30 minutes at room temperature and tasted it again later and there was more complexity to it, as if the cheese and pine nuts and olive oil all did their dance and merged together.  Of course basil is the star of this dish and always will be, the other ingredients are only to compliment and punch up with deliciousness of that ingredient which they totally did.

We will make a couple great dishes with this pesto, then I will take the remaining and freeze it into an ice cube tray. Why such small portions you ask? Well pesto, unlike marinara or alfredo sauces can be enjoyed in much smaller amounts - about the size of an ice cube is actually a service size for someone, that is unless you are of the biggie size generation, much like myself, an ice cube sounds so minuscule. I agree it does, but just try it, you will be pleasantly surprised and then your creation will be able to go much further and make appearances in many more dishes than you could have dreamed of!

Just to save you from searching again, the recipe is:
12 Cloves of garlic (although I thought 8 was better, 12 scared all the vampires, close friends, family and colleagues away)
4 C fresh basil
1/3 C pine nuts
1/2 C grated parmesan (i used the romano instead)
1/2 C olive oil (more if you prefer a different texture)
salt/pepper to taste (i didn't need any, the romano is very salty to me)

I got this awesome but simple recipe from Bruce Brennan, who is the author of Hippy Gourmet and has many cool videos on youtube (look him up!)

The final product >>>>>>>
Oh, I have so many delicious plans for this pretty!








Buon Appetite from the Mouse!