I've been making meatballs for like I don't know...ever. When I was dating my husband Frank, he made for me and a few friends his grandmother's meatballs. Come to think of it, I do believe that was the last time he cooked for me! Well, I was impressed and after we were married, we combined our cookbooks and loose recipes together. Handwritten on an index card was the meatball recipe, passed down from his grandmother to his mother and then to me.
Frank's Italian grandmother took her cooking seriously. Her recipes were taught my my mother in law personally so her son would not miss her cooking. While not in person, I learned from her meatball recipe what makes the meatball turn out tender and savory. First, use fresh bread crumbs and milk/cream. No dried pre-made bread crumbs from a container. Next, use garlic salt. I don't know what it is, but there's something about garlic salt whose flavor surpasses powdered garlic and salt. Perhaps it's the blend whereby the ratio of garlic to salt is just perfect. All I know is that it works.
Here's my recipe, inspired by grandmom, and made my own. They are tender, moist and delicious. Makes about 28 meatballs.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs ground beef, 80/20 lean to fat ratio
1 tbsp. each:
dried basil
dried onion flakes
dried marjoram
dried oregano
dried shallot flakes (optional)
pinch cinnamon
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (I used white bread with crusts, about 4-5 slices)
1/2 cups each:
half and half
milk
water
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs gently beaten
3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place ground beef in large mixing bowl. Add herbs, cinnamon, bread crumbs, Parmesan, eggs, parsley, half and half, milk and water. Gently combine. Do not overwork meat. Add salt and pepper. Mix throughout meat.
Into a heated pan, cook a small patty of the meatball mixture to test for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
Gently hand roll golf ball sized meatballs and place onto an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Treat surface with non-stick spray. Place meatballs at least one inch apart.
Place baking sheet( I used 2 half sheet pans)on racks set in the middle of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotates sheets upper rack to bottom rack and vice versa. Bake and additional 15 minutes. The meatballs should be golden brown.
Transfer meatballs into gently simmering marinara on stove top. Cover and continue to simmer on low for 30 minutes to an hour.
While meatballs are simmering, cook pasta according to directions. Drain pasta and portion into bowls. Top with meatballs, marinara, grated Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Mangia!
Summer is waning despite the heat and humidity here today. I'm looking forward to fall and all the soups, stews and braises I'll be making. Over the next few weeks the produce will change at the markets so preserve, can and freeze what you can. Before long, we'll be talking about asparagus and ramps in the Spring! That's the best part of eating locally. It's like the seasons; they change and each one is special in their own way.
Here's a last hooray! for summer fruit.
Nectarine, sour cherry and blueberry cobbler.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
1 stick butter, 1/4 cup
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
4-5 cups fruit total (use any you have on hand; frozen and thawed fruit works well too)
3/4 cup sugar
Directions:
In a 9x13 inch pan, melt the butter.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, milk and baking powder. Pour over butter.
Spread fruit evenly on top.
Dust with remaining 3/4 cup sugar.
Bake on middle rack of oven 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
Don't forget the ice cream!
My shoulders relaxed and my breathing became a bit deeper as we traversed the limits of the beltway and headed west on I-66 towards Loudon County. As strip malls gave way to suburban sprawl, we crossed Rt. 15 and the country opening itself up to us. Pastoral roads punctuated by horse farms and antique shops funneled us directly into Middleburg, VA. A town where land originally sold for $2.50 an acre has become known as the "Horse and Hunt Capital" and is home to long time locals as well as well heeled Washingtonians and celebrities such as Robert Duvall and well, Wendy Pepper.
A day trip to Middleburg is an approximate one hour, 45 mile drive west of the Washington D.C. Parking is plentiful in lots and street meters. Among the shops, inns and restaurants is a unique market and eatery called Market Salamander. Resembling a rustic barn on one side, and with a gourmet market and open kitchen on the other side, Market Salamander offers a wide variety of items to fill your pantry and your stomach. Among them are cheeses, wines, olive oils,vinegars, butters and caviar. Amiable chefs work the open kitchen where a chalk board displays the sandwich and entree selection and the sides are displayed in a display case. Opposite is a refrigerated case with tasty looking confections and trifles.
I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and Frank ordered the crispy chicken BLT. The pulled pork came served on a warmed kaiser roll and was topped with coleslaw. The pork was tender and juicy with a thin bbq sauce that was tomato based with slight tang which lent a North Carolina bbq sauce note to it. The slaw was crisp and creamy, while not being overdressed and was flecked with slivered roasted red bell pepper. I chose the red potato salad side which was redolent of fresh tarragon blended into the creamy dressing. The potato chunks were large and perfectly cooked.
Frank's crispy chicken BLT came dressed with red pepper mayonnaise in a cheddar wrap. He had a side of the coleslaw and while he enjoyed that, he gave a bigger thumbs up to the potato salad.
We shared a side of macaroni and cheese, because let's face it, we were hungry and our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. A large portion of creamy fussili pasta was rather boring and bland. It needed to be kicked into adult mac and cheese status with the addition of more pungent cheeses. But for $2, we didn't mind.
With soft drinks, our meal came to just under $22. And we were too full for dessert.
There is indoor and outdoor seating. We sat outdoors on the side porch and enjoyed people watching. In back a delightful pergola covered terrace offerd more al fresco eating and we noted that dogs were welcome, and pampered actually!
So, perhaps next time we take a trip to lovely Middleburg we'll take one of our pups along to stroll the streets and enjoy a sandwich. I know I'm going back for the pulled pork.....you had me at "hello".
The Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, VA is a slice of main street America, a mere 5 miles from the nation's capital. This bungalow filled walkable town is how neighborhoods used to be, before we all needed our "space" and 3 car garages. Front porches are close to the street and people can be seen milling about on their way to Mt. Vernon Avenue, or just chatting with neighbors. Independent stores line said Avenue with restaurants, shops and services. There is not a Starbucks to be found here *collective gasp*. And I say, good for them!
Each Saturday from spring through fall, the Del Ray Market is open from 8am to 12pm, at the corner of Mount Vernon and Oxford. The small parking lot accommodates about 15 or so vendors selling produce, meats, pastas, cheeses as well as savory and sweet baked goods. A special shout out goes to Marcella's Bakery stand for their beef or chicken saltenas!
Folks gather on the grass along the sidewalk to talk with neighbors and rest with their dogs. The ratio of dogs to "no pets allowed signs" is about 3:1. No dogs go into the parking lot, but they are well tolerated just outside the perimeter. Well, just see below!
We had a lovely morning at the market with two of our dogs (black and white one) and took a short ride over to Old Town to enjoy our saltenas by the Potomac River. Enjoy!
Patatas Bravas (fierce potatoes) is a Spanish tapas dish made with fried cubed potatoes served with a spicy tomato sauce and aioli. With smashed yukon gold potatoes leftover from a previous dinner, I made potato pancakes reminiscent of this tasty dish. My other favorite way to eat potato pancakes is with sour cream or applesauce. It's one of my favorite breakfasts!
To 2 cups of smashed potatoes, I added 1/3 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, a tablespoon of dried thyme, 2 eggs and some kosher salt. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated. I dropped 2 large tablespoon dollops into a medium high pan with 3 tablespoons of hot vegetable oil. After the first side browned nicely and the potatoes set, I turned and browned the other side. The potato pancakes were placed on a paper towel to drain.
For the aioli, I added to my mini food processor: 6 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, a pinch of saffron, 1/2 zested lemon, juice from 1/2 lemon and one clove garlic. I blended until it was a smooth paste and added salt to taste.
*note* this is more of a method than a recipe-you may alter the amounts to get your batter just right.
Here's the process ending with the "patatas bravas" topped with the aioli:
The taters waiting to be recreated into something wonderful.
Frying up in the pan.
Tada! Crispy on the outside with a savory creamy center.
p.s. Thanks, Mom, for making these for me in your trusty Revereware pan.
Thanks everyone for participating in the poll! I was happy to see that 50% of the votes went for going to the markets once per week and one third of you go 2 to 3 times per month. Way to go! Here's are some links to help you find a market near you in the Washington DC area.
Fairfax County Markets
Fresh Farm Markets (DC, VA and MD)
Maryland markets
Virginia Markets
Washington Post list
Eastern Market
