Meatballs in Broth with Little Pasta

I'm pretty sure you can't go wrong with a combination like meatballs and pasta. Granted, usually they're in a more traditional application like spaghetti and meatballs, but this adheres to similar guidelines. Well seasoned, highly flavorful meat and sauce/broth to cover up the fact that I'm too damn lazy to make my own pasta and I buy the tastes like cardboard stuff.

You know, the same guidelines everyone follows.

This soup really does rely on the quality of a good broth, so ideally use homemade. I know, it's a pain, but homemade stock really is the foundation of a good soup. So get to boilin'.

This would look way cooler if you used a pasta like ditalini - but tiny shells like these will do in a pinch. You know, the kind of pinch that involves not wanting to drive to the grocery store to buy ditalini.

That kind.

Meatballs in Broth with Little Pasta

24 oz. broth/stock (chicken or beef, choose your poison)
1 1/2 cups little pasta
8 oz. ground beef
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
2-3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, minced
1 egg
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
salt and black pepper to taste

grated parmesan and chopped parsley to garnish

In a bowl combine beef, garlic, parmesan, parsley, egg, and breadcrumbs until thoroughly combined. Shape into 1/4 oz (about half the size of a quail egg) meatballs. Bring the broth to a boil in a medium pot. Add meatballs and boil for 5 minutes. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Serve hot with parmesan and fresh parsley to garnish. Pairs well with a Sauv Blanc and crusty bread.

Steak-Stuffed Manicotti

It seems that typically manicotti is filled with a near flavorless, texturally-nightmare inducing amalgamation of ricotta, Parmesan, and if you're lucky some herbs and salt. I'm not a big fan. While I love ricotta as much as the next bird, I prefer it to be mixed in with something of substance to provide a break in the rather gag-inducing texture - or baked in a cheesecake, you'll get no complaints from me on that one.

And so I embarked on a journey to fill a pasta shell with a stuffing of substance, one that would peel through the doldrums of stuffed pastas with it's ring of tummy-filling awesomeness. My manicotti manifestation would transform the world with it's revolutionary play of textures and flavors!

Or I saw an advert in Gourmet for stuffed shells and they sounded yummy.

One or the other. You decide.

I decided to go a very non-traditional route with these babies for really no other reason than that I wanted to use up some of the food I already had in the house. I much prefer that than running out to the grocery store to buy all new ingredients.

Blech.

Be resourceful people, we're in a recession here.



Steak Stuffed Manicotti

Serves 2

6 1/2 oz steak
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1 cup frozen chopped collard greens, thawed and drained
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, in small dice
2 oz mozzarella cheese, in small dice
1/2 avocado, mashed
6 manicotti shells, boiled and drained
1 cup marinara sauce, preferably homemade
1 oz Idiazábal cheese, finely grated

Preheat oven to 375 F

Chop steak into 1/4 in dice, it's easier if it's partially frozen. In a skillet over medium heat melt the butter. Cook the shallots until softened, add steak. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When steak is cooked about half-way through add the collards. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a medium mixing bowl. Add minced garlic, cheddar, mozzarella, and avocado. Combine thoroughly. Using a teaspoon, or your fingers (which I prefer), fill each manicotti shell, taking care to fill completely but without tearing the delicate pasta. Lay side by side in rectangular casserole dish. Cover with marinara sauce and grated Idiazábal. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Beef and Barley Soup

Psst!


Psst!

Yes, you - in front of the computer in your bathrobe nomming on those Cheetos!

Want to hear the easiest recipe ever for a great tasting meal...that's actually good for you?

Of course you do!

No, there's no need to lick off all that cheesy powder of doom - you're fingers are stained bright orange with the proof of your winter-time indiscretions. There's no hiding it now.

But seriously, this may not be the most glamorous soup in the world, but for the amount of effort required it should be carried through the streets, hoisted over heads, and loudly applauded by crowds great and small. Barley is low in fat and high in awesomeness.

Or you can just make some really friggin' easy great tasting beef and barley soup and save all this horse-crap for something else.

Meh...hyperbole is fun.



Beef and Barley Soup

10 oz. steak, cubed (you choose, I use eye of round)
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
3 ribs celery, washed, trimmed, and chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup pearl barley
8 cups beef stock (or 8 cups water and 2 1/2 tablespoons boullion)
salt and pepper to taste

Get a pot. Put it on the stove over medium heat. Add everything all at once. Put the lid on. Simmer for 1/2 hour. Remove cover. Simmer for 15 minutes further. Eat with tasty warm bread and butter.

Don't burn your mouth on the awesomeness.

Sesame Beef Buns

Have you ever been surfing the interwebs, minding your own business, ignoring the laundry to be folded, and run across a recipe that just screamed "Make me! Put me in your tummy!"? Well, such was the case with this recipe.

I know, what you're thinking, "SB, what in the heck were you thinking? It's MSN! Those people don't know a recipe from a cup of playdough!"

And you know what?

You'd be right.

Whoever developed this recipe obviously never tested it.

In conception this recipe sounds pretty delicious, savory beef mixture wrapped in a very slightly sweetened yeast dough and baked to perfection. Right? Wrong.

I realized this while I was making the dough. I don't know why I didn't think about the fact that 1/3 cup water, plus 2 eggs, plus 3 tablespoons oil is way too much liquid for 1 3/4 cups flour...but I didn't. Cuz I'm fun like that. So, after tinkering away and fixing the dough ingredients and totally changing the filling recipe I made my own.

Cuz I'm fun like that.

Sesame Beef Buns
Makes about ten buns

Dough

1/3 cup warm water
1 package (2 1/4 tsp.) active dry yeast
3 1/2 tablespoon(s) sugar
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon unsifted bread flour
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
2 large eggs, warmed to room temperature and beaten
2 tablespoon(s) vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Filling

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon peeled, finely chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup finely chopped green onions
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Black sesame seeds, (optional)

Egg Glaze

1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk

In small bowl combine water, yeast, and 1/2 tablespoon sugar; stir to dissolve yeast. Let stand until foamy -- about 5 minutes.

In medium-size bowl, or bowl of your stand mixer, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, and the salt; stir in yeast mixture, eggs, and oil, mixing until combined. Add remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead dough, adding as much of remaining bread flour as necessary to prevent stickiness, until smooth and elastic -- about 8 minutes. (Or switch the the kneading hook on your mixer and let it go to town for about 5 minutes)

Place dough in oiled bowl and turn to bring oiled side up. Cover with plastic wrap and clean cloth and let dough rise in warm place, away from drafts, until double in size -- about 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare filling:

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; add ginger and garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in beef, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. Cook until beef browns. Remove from heat and stir in green onions and sesame seeds. Set aside.

Grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper. When dough has doubled, punch down and shape into a 10-inch-long log. With serrated knife, cut log crosswise into ten 1-inch-thick slices. On lightly floured surface, roll out one slice to a 4-inch round. (I found it easier to weigh each piece of dough. Mine were 65-70 grams each.)

Roll out or press just around the edge of round so that the middle is slightly thicker and the round is 5 inches wide. Fill center of round with 1 heaping tablespoon beef filling; gather up edge to form a pouch and pinch together tightly to seal bun. Turn bun over and gently shape into a ball; place seam side down on greased sheet.

Repeat with remaining slices and filling. Cover beef buns with clean cloths or plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare Egg Glaze.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush buns with Egg Glaze and sprinkle, if desired, with sesame seeds. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until well browned. Cool buns on wire rack; serve warm.

All American

There are many things in this world that I absolutely cannot live without, Mr. Totally Awesome (oh yes, that name is sticking), a clean house, brownies, fried chicken, goat cheese, and burgers and fries. Burgers are my guilty pleasure, I'm liable to order them whenever they're on the menu. I've even been known to patronize a Burger King or two when I'm hit with a real craving. I know, it's dirty and wrong, but I just can't help it (Burger King, not burgers in general). There's just something about the combination of juicy, flavorful hamburger, melty sharp cheddar cheese, salty bacon, tomatoes, onion, pickles...oh yum. I'll eat a specialty burger with gorgonzola and caramelized onions, or avocado, or pineapple, but nothing gets me quite like a good old fashioned all American hamburger with all the fixings.

This is one of my own recipes that I've fashioned after the way my mother made them when I was a child. These babies are moist and full of flavor, but they are a little fragile - I won't lie, they can fall apart on you. But, once you take that first bite you'll know what I mean. Nothing tastes quite like home like a burger and fries.

Tasty Juicy Burgers
Makes 4 burgers

1/4 yellow onion, chopped very fine
3/4 lb. lean hamburger
6 saltines, crushed
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
pinch red pepper flakes

In a small skillet cook the onion until softened, remove from heat. Combine onion, hamburger and remaining ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and work together with your hands until thoroughly combined. Chill for at least two hours. Remove meat mixture from the refrigerator and let sit at room temp for 15 minutes. Shape into four patties. Grill burgers on BBQ, or pan fry over med-high heat.

The key here is to let the burgers cook for 4-5 minutes each side, only flipping once. Put the burgers in the pan/on the grill, let cook for 4-5 minutes, depending on thickness and how done you like them, then flip and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. DO NOT press down on them with a spatula or you'll ruin them. It presses all the juices out and makes a dry piece of leather. If desired throw a slice or two of cheese on the patty after flipping. When finished place on a bun and top with whatever the hell makes you happy.



Oven Baked French Fries

3 russet potatoes
vegetable oil
salt and cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 450 F (this will take at least 1/2 hour allow for that)

Slice the washed potatoes into 1/3 inch square fries. Toss in a bowl with vegetable oil, salt and pepper to taste. Lay out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do not forget the parchment paper, if you're not going to use it just throw the potatoes in the trash because that's about all you'll accomplish. Lay out the fries in one even layer over the parchment. Bake for 40 minutes, or until crisp on the outside, tender on the inside.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Who doesn't love spaghetti and meatballs? Well, other than communists. That's right, nobody. It's as American as...everything else we stole and bastardized from other nations?

This definitely went much better than last time I made meatballs. These ones turned out perfectly. Pretty much the only way I'll eat spaghetti is if I've made the sauce myself. Sure, I'll use bottled when I'm feeling totally lazy for lasagna or to mix with other stuff, but if it's just getting heated and then put in my mouth? No thank you, sir. I'll pass on the flavorless, artificial colorings, preservative enhanced blech. Of course, unless I'm feeling lazy. Seriously, folks. When I'm tuckered out I'll throw my principles out the window faster than that lady with the baby and the bathwater. I'm easy like that, what can I say?

Want to know the secret to fantastic spaghetti and meatballs? Don't top with grated parmesan - top with grated Roncal. It's a sheeps milk cheese and makes all the difference. MiL introduced me to Roncal and I can't thank her enough. It's superb and really adds an additional nuance of flavor.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Sauce:

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (28 oz) tin petite diced tomatoes
1 (10 oz) tin tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) tin tomato paste
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar ( If you're not using champagne vinegar, just omit it. Do NOT substitute white or cider vinegar.)
1/4 cup chicken stock (optional)

In a large deep skillet melt butter over medium heat. Cook garlic until fragrant, add onion and cook till softened and nearly translucent. Add basil, oregano, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Mix thoroughly. Add tin of petite diced tomatoes and incorporate completely. Allow to come to a steady simmer. Add a nice glug of champagne vinegar, approx. 2 tablespoons. Simmer over med-low heat for 45 min-1 hour. If the sauce becomes too thick add chicken stock if desired to thin. Do not shorten cooking time, it's needed to slowly deepen the flavor of the tomatoes and meld the flavors together.

Meatballs

olive oil
1/4 yellow onion, minced very finely
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
6 saltines, crushed to crumbs
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400 F

In a small skillet cook onion over medium heat until softened and translucent. Remove from skillet and cool to room temperature. In a mixing bowl combine ground beef and cooked onion with rest of ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Grease baking sheet with olive oil and shape meat mixture into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until internal temp reaches 160 F. Serve with cooked spaghetti noodles and sauce.