Dinner Jan 10, 2023
Note: Pasta made following packages instructions.
Meatballs and Sauce
Ingredients:
3 slices of homemade Sourdough Bread, roughly torn
1/3 cup Whole Milk, plus more as needed
1 large Onion, minced (about 1 1/2 cups), divided
12 cloves Garlic, finely minced, divided
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated, plus more for serving
1/2 cup frozen Parsley leaves, minced (I freeze a lot of my fresh herbs)
4 teaspoons (18g) Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 large Eggs
2 teaspoons dried Oregano, divided
1 pound Ground Beef (at least 25% fat)
1 pound Ground Pork (at least 25% fat)
1/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 (28-ounce) cans Whole Peeled Tomatoes, crushed by hand
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Basil (this time also frozen)
A package of Button Mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Spinach
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine bread with buttermilk, tossing to coat. Let stand, tossing occasionally, until bread is completely moist, about 10 minutes. Squeeze bread between your fingers or mash with a spoon to make sure there are no dry spots. Add half of onion, 8 cloves of minced garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, salt, pepper, egg, and half of oregano to bread/buttermilk mixture.
[I probably added more cheese]
Set mixer bowl in stand mixer and attach paddle. Starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, beat bread mixture until thoroughly blended, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary. Add 1/3 each of the beef and pork and beat at medium-high speed until thoroughly blended with bread mixture.
[I did this by hand cuz I didn't want to wash more stuff 😬]
Remove bowl from stand mixer and add remaining beef and pork. Using a clean hand, gently mix meatball mixture, tearing apart ground meat with your fingers, just until ground beef and pork and thoroughly distributed throughout; avoid mixing any more than is necessary for even distribution.
Preheat broiler and set oven rack in upper position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside 6 ounces of meatball mixture. Form remaining meatball mixture into golfball-sized balls and arrange on prepared baking sheet; you should be able to make about 16. Broil meatballs until browned on top, about 7 minutes (browning times can vary dramatically, depending on oven broiler strength). Transfer meatballs to a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add remaining meat mixture and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add remaining onion and garlic [and mushrooms] and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add remaining oregano and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season with salt.
Transfer tomato sauce and basil sprig to slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 6 to 10 hours. Gently fold meatballs [and spinach] into mixture for last 30 minutes of cooking. Serve with pasta and Parmesan cheese.
Spinach Salad
Ingredients:
Spinach
1 Lemon
Fine Grain Salt
Black Pepper
Olive Oil
Pomegranate Seeds
Directions:
Trim stems off of spinach as needed, wash and spin (salad spinner) the spinach
Zest the lemon, then cut in half and juice into a small bowl with a lid
Add zest, fine salt, pepper and olive oil to bowl and shake to mix/emulsify
Toss spinach with dressing, plate, and then sprinkle with pomegranate seeds
Final Notes:
Might need to try a mozzarella cheese core in the meatballs next time
Make again, because who doesn't love meatballs
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