meatballs

Meatballs with Tex-Mex Chili Gravy

INGREDIENTS
1/4 Cup lard or vegetable oil
1/4 Cup plus 2 Tbsp Masa Harina
1-1/2 tsp Black Pepper Fine Grind
1-1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
2 Tbsp Chili Powder Medium
2 tsp Cumin Ground
1 tsp Paprika Smoked Sweet
1-1/2 tsp Oregano Mexican
1 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp New Mexico Chile Powder
1 tsp Chipotle Chile, Brown Powder
1/2 tsp Coriander Ground
2 Cups beef stock
1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
1-1/2 lb ground pork
1 large egg
1/4 fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Queso Fresco, crumbled, or Monterrey Jack, shredded

STEPS

Make the Chili Gravy: warm the lard or vegetable oil, along with 1/4 Cup of masa harina in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Use a whisk to continuously stir the mixture until the masa begins to turn golden and is fragrant, about 4 – 5 min. Add 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp kosher salt, 2 tsp cumin, 2 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp paprika, and 1 tsp oregano to the mixture. Continue to whisk the spices into the mixture, about 30 seconds. You will be completely engulfed in the smell of Tex-Mex goodness as the spices warm (it also will make your house smell fantastic). Add the beef stock to the mixture, a little at a time, while continuing to stir. Cook for a few more minutes until gravy coats the back of a spoon.

Make the Meatballs: Preheat oven to 400°F and oil a baking sheet. Use a wooden spoon (or your hands) to mix the ground pork with onion, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp coriander, 2 tsp New Mexico Chile Powder, 1 tsp Chipotle Chile Powder, and 1 tsp Garlic Powder. In a small bowl, vigorously whisk 2 Tbsp of Masa Harina in egg until the mixture is frothy and any lumps dissolve. Pour the egg mixture over the pork mixture and stir to combine. Scoop up about 1/4 of mixture and shape into a batch of meatballs about 1-1/2″ in diameter, placing each on a rimmed baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake meatballs for 20 minutes; pieces will be darkened and cooked through. Repeat process with another batch of meatballs.

Add finished meatballs to the gravy skillet; toss gently to coat. Simmer until meatballs are thoroughly heated.  Remove meatballs and gravy to a serving dish. Garnish with cilantro and cheese and serve warm.

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Thai Coconut Curry Meatballs

INGREDIENTS

Meatballs:
3 large eggs
2 Cups panko or fine bread crumbs
1/4 Cup milk
2 lbs lean ground beef (or lean ground turkey)
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp Thai Coconut Green Curry powder
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 Cup chopped fresh cilantro
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped
Thai Chiles (optional – use if you want more heat!)

Curry sauce:
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 cans (approx 13.5 oz each) unsweetened coconut milk
3 Tbsp Thai Coconut Green Curry , mixed with a little water or coconut milk to make a paste
1/4 Cup fresh lime juice (juice squeezed from about 2-3 limes)
Hot cooked rice for serving

STEPS

In a large bowl, Combine the (beaten) eggs, panko/breadcrumbs and milk. Allow mixture to stand, without disturbing, 5-10 min. Add ground beef or turkey to breadcrumb mixture and use a wooden spoon or spatula (or your freshly-washed hands) to mix together. Next, add the ginger, curry powder, fish sauce, sugar, cilantro, salt, garlic and green onions and mix to distribute all the ingredients throughout the meatball fixings.

Use a spoon or cookie dough scoop to form the meat into meatballs that are slightly smaller than a golf ball. Heat the oil over medium heat in a broad-bottomed non-stick skillet. Arrange a batch of meatballs in the heated pan, leaving only a little room in between. Quickly brown the meatballs on all sides, about 2-3 minutes total. If you’re using the Thai chilies for extra spice, now is the time to add them to the pan.

When the first batch of meatballs is fully browned on all sides, transfer them to a large plate or platter, and repeat the process with the next batch of meatballs. You may need to add more oil to the pan as you go; allow oil to fully heat before arranging a fresh batch of meatballs to be browned.

Once all the meatballs have been browned, drain extra oil from the pan, leaving any tiny leftover browned cooked bits in the pan. Reheat the skillet over medium heat before pouring in the coconut milk and green curry paste. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine the liquid and the curry paste into a smooth sauce, being sure to also scrape up any tasty browned bits, too.

Return the meatballs to the skillet with the sauce, carefully stirring to coat each one with the curry sauce. Bring skillet to a simmer and cook, 8 – 10 min, flipping once or twice, until meatballs are cooked through.

Stir in the lime juice into the curried meatballs. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away over hot, cooked rice.

Makes six servings.

Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

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Smoked Peppercorn Sage Turkey Meatballs

INGREDIENTS

1 lb lean ground turkey (you can also mix do part turkey, part pork sausage)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Panko (bread crumbs), soaked in a splash or two of milk
3 Tbsp Smoked Peppercorn Sage Rub
2 tsp Dried Parsley Leaf
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil

STEPS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F while heating the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until ingredients are softened, onions becoming translucent, but not quite browned. Transfer ingredients to a large bowl and allow to cool.

To the bowl add the ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, Smoked Peppercorn Sage Rub, Parsley, Cayenne and Salt.  Mix together by hand until ingredients are just combined. Take small scoops of the mixture and roll into 1-inch balls, placing each on a parchment-lined baking sheet, close together but not touching.

Bake meatballs in the oven until browned and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer from baking sheet to serving platter.

Alternate method: start cooking the meatballs by browning in a skillet and moving them to cookie sheets in the oven after the outside of the meatballs are brown and crisped.

Serve alone or with a quick cream sauce!

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Turkey & Sage Meatballs with Cranberry BBQ Sauce

INGREDIENTS

Meatballs:
1 lb ground turkey
1/3 Cup oats
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp Worchestershire Powder
1 Tbsp Rubbed Sage
1/2 Tbsp Rosemary, dried whole
1/2 Tbsp dried Thyme Leaf, roughly chopped
1/2 Tbsp air-dried Chives
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cranberry BBQ Sauce:
12 oz fresh cranberries (1 bag)
1/2 Cup orange juice
1/4 Cup molasses
3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 (canned) chipotle peppers in adobo
1/2 Cup ketchup
2 Tbsp Red Apple Balsamic or Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
3/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon

STEPS:
Preheat oven to 375°F.  Put all meatball ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix (with a big wooden spoon, or preferably with your hands) together until mixture is just combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Lightly oil a baking sheet, then take two Tbsp of the seasoned meatball mixture and form into a meatball. Gently transfer the meatball to the prepared baking sheet continue forming meatballs until all of the turkey mixture is used.

Bake seasoned meatballs in oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until exterior is lightly browned and meatball completely cooked through. (Cut through a single meatball to check for doneness if necessary). Allow meatballs to cool several minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a serving platter or bowl.

Make the cranberry bbq sauce: Combine the cranberries, orange juice, molasses, honey, brown sugar, and chipotles in adobo in a medium saucepan. Warm the mixture over medium heat on the stove, and bring to a simmer, stirring continuously.  When the sauce begins to bubble, the cranberries will begin to “pop,” releasing tart juice into the mixture.  Continue to simmer, and stir while you add the remaining ingredients.

Reduce heat to a bare simmer, and cook the cranberry bbq sauce for an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally as the sauce thickens, the volume reducing by a third.

Serve the meatballs with the cranberry bbq sauce on the side.

**Note: For a heartier bbq sauce, saute some diced onion, minced garlic, and a little more minced thyme, and add this sauteed mixture along with 1/4 Cup of dried cranberries at the beginning of the sauce recipe.

Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon.

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A Look-back at Our ‘Cooking With Alessandra’ Class

What a blast!

Earlier this week, we were invited into the kitchen-classroom of our East Village neighbor, Alessandra. You might know her through her cooking school, Cooking With Alessandra.

We got to teach a fun evening course on the ingredients used in basic Italian cooking. We made several varieties of pizza, of meatballs, and even variations on the custard-y dessert treat, panna cotta.

Here’s a photo of AllSpice owner, Rory Brown, and shop manager Chef Amy Kenny, from the class:

Cooking_with_Alessandra

We’ve had several requests for a list of which oils, spices, herbs, and blends were used in the different dishes we made. Here it is:

Pizzas:
Tomato Sauce – Chipotle Olive Oil
Wild Mushroom – European Blend Mushrooms with Black Truffle Salt
Artichoke/Goat Cheese – Eureka Lemon Olive Oil & Greek Seasoning
Arugula/Tomatoes – Fig Balsamic Vinegar
Bacon Dough – Hickory Smoked Salt

Meatballs:
Red Sauce – Gusto Blend
Arugula/Pesto – Leccino Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Leeks/Cream – Herbes de Provence
Curry – Madras Curry Powder

Panna Cotta:
Fresh Berry – Blackberry Ginger Balsamic or Dark Chocolate Balsamic
Spice Chocolate – Chili Threads
Vanilla-Honey Pistachio – Vanilla Paste or try Lemon Pepper
Spicy Mango – Pink Peppercorns
Espresso – Espresso Brava Salt

Thanks again to all the participants who came to the cooking class. And thanks, especially, to Alessandra, for inviting us over for the evening — we had a blast!

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