Meatballs. Not the movie.

Here’s a recipe I pulled out of the April 2008 edition of Gourmet (R.I.P.) I have always wanted to make real Italian meatballs and this recipe sounded like it fit the bill. Sadly, to me, it did not. The meatballs are good but I think there is too much bread and they are lacking something I can’t put my finger on. The recipe was sent in by a reader to honor his grandfather.  I served the meatballs with my own homemade sauce and homemade pasta.

I actually had some of these last night. Eric loves them but they're not my favorite, so I am going to put these on my "Not a Keeper" list.

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My grandfather, Angelo “Squatty” Coschignano, ran the Fort Salonga Inn, on Long Island, for 35 years. Growing up, I spent long hours in the kitchen with him and eventually created a sauce that would complement his most famous dish. After he passed away last September, our family decided that sending Gourmet his recipe would be the best way to memorialize him.

-William “Billy” Woerner

New York City

Angelo “Squatty” Coschignano’s Meatballs

Serves 6 to 8

Active Time: 1 hour

Start to Finish: 2 ½ hours

Three types of meat give these legendary meatballs a succulent depth of flavor. Top them with Billy Woerner’s rich, bacon-studded sauce (see recipe at gourmet.com) to create a truly out-of-this-world version of the classic Italian dish.

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 (1-lb) loaf stale Italian bread, crust discarded

1 ½ cups whole milk

¾ lb ground veal

½ lb ground pork

½ lb ground beef chuck

2 tablespoons chopped basil

1 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/3 cup Italian seasoned fine dry bread crumbs

1 large egg

½ cup olive oil

1 qt. tomato sauce

- Preheat oven to 375° with rack in middle.

- Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt.

- Tear bread into large pieces, then soak in milk until very soft, about 5 minutes. Squeeze out and discard excess milk.

- Mix together bread, garlic paste, 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and remaining ingredients except oil in a large bowl with your hands, breaking up any large pieces of bread, until combined well. Form meat mixture into 18 (2-inch) balls with dampened hands. I made smaller meatballs and froze most of them. Place meatballs on a baking sheet, freeze, then place frozen meatballs in a Ziploc bag. You can take out however many you need for dinner.

That's alotta meatballs!

- Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown meatballs in 2 batches, turning frequently, 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels. Instead of frying, these can also be baked on a baking sheet.

- Arrange meatballs in 1 layer in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Cover with sauce, then cover dish tightly with foil and bake until meatballs are cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Note: Meatballs in sauce keep, covered and chilled, 3 days.

Homemade meatballs, sauce & pasta

Sweets for my Sweets

I love to bake but I’ve never really been much of a decorated sugar cookie baker. Every year at Christmas I think I’m finally going to use the cookie cutters an old college roommate gave me (think early 90’s) and every year I don’t. This year, I decided I really wanted to make cookies for Valentine’s Day, so I went to Sur la Table and bought a couple of heart shaped cutters. These cookies are so easy and so delicious. This recipe I’ve had since December 2004 (!) when I pulled it out of the Holiday edition of Real Simple.  Using a 3” heart shaped cutter, this recipe made about 5 dozen cookies.

Sugar Cookies

Makes 4-6 dozen cookies, depending on shapes

Hands-On Time: 1hr 15m

Total Time: 3hr 30m

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

colored or coarse sugar, for decorating

Directions

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl; set aside.

2. Combine the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer and cream until smooth. Slowly add the sugar, beating on medium. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. With a wooden spoon, stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture 1 cup at a time.

3. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide in half. Place each half on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten into disks about 1 inch thick. Wrap separately then refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 1 week.

4. To bake, preheat oven to 350° F. Roll to 1/8 inch thick on a well-floured surface. Cut into shapes. Sprinkle with the colored sugar, if desired. Using a spatula, transfer to a large greased baking sheet, sugared-side up. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Transfer to a cooling rack. 

I Heart Cookies!

Chicken with Acorn Squash and Tomatoes

OK, so I’m not dead, I’ve just been very, very lazy this past month!!  I’ve been cooking, I just haven’t been typing, so I apologize to all of my fans for neglecting you. Haha

This is a recipe from the November 2010 issue of Real Simple magazine. I’ve made it a few times and it’s very good. We weren’t sure if we liked acorn squash until I made this recipe. It gets very tender and sweet from the roasting. I also just roast the chicken along with the squash and tomatoes to cut down on calories/fat. Be careful with roasting the garlic – it can burn quite easily and fast. I add it about halfway through roasting.

Chicken with Acorn Squash and Tomatoes

Serves 4

Hands-On Time: 20m

Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

1 small acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved, seeded, and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

4 cloves garlic, sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper

4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (if you don't have fresh, dried is fine, just use less)

The ingredients await my magic

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425° F.

2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash, tomatoes, and garlic with 2 tablespoons of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  (I wait to add the garlic so it doesn’t burn – nothing is nastier than burnt garlic!)

3. Roast the vegetables until the squash is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. (skip this step and just roast the chicken in the oven with the squash and tomatoes)

5. Season the chicken with the coriander, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes per side.



Roasted goodness out of the oven



6. Serve the chicken with the squash and tomatoes and sprinkle with the oregano.

Dinner is served!

Meatless Monday - Spaghetti Caprese

Spaghetti Caprese

This is something I made up one night using what I had on hand. It turned out to be a delicious vegetarian meal. I made a big batch of pesto last summer with fresh, organic basil from my CSA. I froze the pesto in an ice cube tray and then popped out my pesto cubes into a freezer bag to store. Every time I need some pesto, I take out a cube or two to thaw and use. What a great idea!  I reserved some pasta cooking water to mix with the pesto to make it a bit more “saucy”.

Spaghetti

3 cubes Pesto

Grape tomatoes, diced

Fresh mozzarella, diced

Asparagus, cut into 1” pieces

Cook spaghetti. Towards the end of the cooking, toss in the asparagus to cook along with the spaghetti. Save about 1/3 cup of the pasta water to mix with the pesto.

Toss all of the ingredients together. Season with salt, pepper and grated parmesan cheese.

Mangia, Mangia!!

Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meat Loaf

Here’s a good recipe from the March 2008 issue of Real Simple Magazine. I was a bit skeptical at first, because I like traditional meat loaf made with Lipton Onion Soup Mix.  Sometimes you don’t want to mess with childhood memories, but there’s always room for improvement. This meat loaf was very flavorful and moist and will definitely go in the rotation. We had it with some mashed sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meat Loaf

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

1 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

kosher salt and pepper

1.Heat oven to 400° F.

2.Combine the turkey, onion, bread crumbs, egg, Parmesan, mustard, the parsley, red peppers, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Shape the meat into an 8-inch loaf and place in a baking dish.

Before going into the oven - how colorful!

3.Bake until no trace of pink remains (internal temperature should be 165° F), about 45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Tip: A loaf pan isn’t the best choice for baking meat loaf. Instead use a large pan with 1 ½ to 2 inch sides, such as metal, glass, or ceramic 7 by 11 inch baking dish, which will allow the heat to circulate over the meat, cooking it evenly.

The finished product

Curry in a Hurry

Here is an easy recipe for Chicken Curry from the July 2006 issue of Real Simple magazine, which was under the heading of “Five Easy Dinners”.  It was definitely easy and pretty good. This is a good basic recipe which you can tweak to your tastes and what you have on hand, ingredient-wise.  If I make it again I’ll have to spice it up since it was a bit mild for our taste.

Chicken Curry

Serves 4

Hands-On Time: 15m

Total Time: 30m

1 cup white rice (I made jasmine rice)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

1/4 cup (1 ounce) almonds, roughly chopped

1.Cook the rice according to the package directions.

2.Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Cut it into 1-inch pieces and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with the curry and cinnamon, toss, and set aside.

3.Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

4.Heat remaining oil in the skillet. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

5.Add the broth, cream, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Return vegetables to the skillet and heat until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.

6.Divide the rice among bowls. Top with the chicken curry and sprinkle with the basil and almonds.

Tip: You can vary the ingredients depending on what you have on hand. Consider substituting coconut milk for the cream, eggplant for the zucchini, cilantro for the basil, or cashews for the almonds.

Since I had them on hand, I used cilantro & cashews to top off the dish. I also used 1 cup of cream and 2 cups of chicken broth. If I make this again, I’ll use less liquid, probably reducing it to 2 cups instead of 3.

Texas Red Chili

Looking to make some Chili for the big game on Sunday? This could be your ticket.  I made this for a snowy weekend watching football playoffs and it definitely hit the spot.  I served it with jalapeno cheddar cornbread and beer, of course.

Hot Chili on a Cold Snowy Day

While I really enjoyed this chili, I personally prefer a chili with beans. Go ahead and add beans to this recipe, but then you won’t be able to call it “Texas” chili. (But who cares, right?) 

Martha’s recipe calls for toasting dried chiles, then rehydrating them to blend and add to the chili. It seems like a lot of work but it definitely adds a nice depth of flavor you won’t get from using chili powder.

Texas Red Chili

Makes about 8 cups; Serves 6 to 8

From Martha Stewart Living, October 2009

The dried chiles, oregano and cumin can be replaced with ½ cup chili powder. Skip step 1, add powder to onion mixture, and cook for 1 minute.

8 whole dried chiles (5 ancho and 3 guajillo or all ancho; about 3 ounces)

3 tablespoons safflower oil, plus more as needed (I used vegetable)

3 pounds trimmed beef chuck, cut into small pieces (1/2 inch or smaller)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

2 large onions, coarsely chopped (4 cups)

7 to 8 garlic cloves, minced (5 tablespoons)

2 jalapeno or Serrano chiles, seeded if desired, minced

2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons ground oregano

1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled plum tomatoes, pureed with their juice (3 ½ cups)

4 cups water, plus more if needed and for soaking

2 to 3 teaspoons white vinegar, to taste

The ingredients

Toast dried chiles in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and blistered, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Toasting the chiles

Remove stem and seeds; discard. Transfer chiles to a large measuring cup or bowl, and cover with hot water. Keep chiles submerged with a small bowl, and let soak for 30 minutes. Remove from water, and puree in a blender with 1/2 cup soaking liquid.  (I saved the rest of the soaking liquid to add to the chili in Step 4)

The pureed chiles. Such a beautiful color!

Heat a large heavy pot over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil. Season beef with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Brown beef in batches, adding more oil as needed, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Browning the Beef

Add remaining tablespoon oil, the onions, garlic, and minced chiles to pot, and cook over medium-high heat until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. (If the pan gets too dark, add a little water, and scrape up browned bits with a wooden spoon to deglaze.) Add cumin and oregano, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Stir in browned beef and chile puree. Add tomato puree, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer gently, partially covered, until meat is very tender and juices are thick, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. (Check pot once an hour for excessive evaporation; if chili seems dry, add a little water.) Season chili with salt, and stir in vinegar. Serve immediately (or refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months; reheat in a pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally).

Texas Red Chili