Meatballs: Basic Building Blocks

When Dave and I were first married, I couldn't even make a hamburger. I didn't know how to pick a good recipe. I had no idea about substitutions or what I could get along without. I didn't know how to clean up as I went along or start more than one dish at a time. As a result, dinner was much more than fashionably late. The  kitchen was a shambles. I ran myself ragged back and forth to the grocery store ... and the results weren't even all that good.

This was not all in efforts to please my husband. Dave was as laid back as they come about all of it. He tried to eat the hamburger with the ketchup and mustard combined with the burger meat (bad recipe!). He even cleaned up much of the time. No, I was just frustrated. I am a reasonably smart person, I told myself, I should be able to do this.

Finally, one Saturday morning I showed up at the side door of my sister-in-law who is a fabulous cook. "Teach me, mold me, make me you," I moaned. "Give me your ten easiest and best recipes." She took pity on me, and this is one of the first successful meals I cooked. Ten years later, it still makes a weeknight appearance now and again. It's just good.

Meatball Sandwiches

1 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup bread crumbs (seasoned or unseasoned from the round containers, like Progresso)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (more if you like)

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. garlic powder (not garlic salt)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together loosely and form golfball-sized meatballs. Place two inches apart on a cookie sheet and place in oven. Cook for 20 minutes (check for doneness).

While meatballs are cooking, heat a 16 oz can of tomato sauce with 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1/2 tsp. basil, 1 bay leaf, and 1/2 tsp salt (less if the tomato sauce is not sodium free). Throw meatballs in with the sauce to cover.  

Toast hoagie buns under broiler and melt cheese (monterey jack or mozzarella) on the top-inside top of the bun. Place meatballs and sauce on buns and serve.

Notes on the Recipe:

You can use half of the meatballs for sandwiches, then serve the rest with spaghetti and sauce later in the week. They  also freeze well.

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Lora

I always though Toll House was the undisputed best chocolate chip cookie recipe. Until I met this one. That's the beauty of Ina Garten. She takes the simple recipes we know and love so well, then somehow makes them the absolute best they can be. Lora was over today, and commented that something was missing from my countertop – the huge plate of these chocolate chip cookies that had been there earlier this week. Here's the recipe for Lora and anyone else who wants to try it.

Ina's Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1/2 pound unsalted buter at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs at room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1 1/4 pounds semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy in bowl of electric mixer fixed with paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, and mix well.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the butter with the mixer on low speed, mixing only until combined. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chunks.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a  rounded tablespoon. Bake for 11 minutes (just until the edges begin to look slightly brown). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

About the Recipe:

Don't worry if your eggs aren't extra-large or room temperature; it's really no big deal. Be sure to use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips. The chips have more wax in them and don't melt as well. If you don't have an electric mixer, then just beat the dough hard with a handheld mixer. Ina's recipe says to bake for 15 minutes, but mine came out too crispy that way the first time. Eleven minutes was just right. Just keep an eye on the first batch to make sure they are still soft in the middle, but beginning to firm up and brown ever so slightly around the edges. Don't worry if you don't have parchment paper, although it is best. Any nonstick cookie sheet will do. 

Buy the Bird

By popular demand, here is a super-easy, quick dinner for a weeknight. It's compliments of Real Simple magazine and is all about cheating.  The whole thing comes together in 15 minutes total, and it warms up well for the next day's lunch. No tricks. No special kitchen tools. Easy as it gets.

Parmesan Pasta with Chicken and Rosemary (serves 4)

12 oz. (3 cups) orecchiette pasta (in the shape of little ears, but bowties would work well, too)

1 rotisserie chicken

2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary,  chopped

3/4 cup grated Parmesan (you can get by with Kraft, but a block of real Parm or at least Di Giornio's grated tub is better)

Kosher salt and pepper

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, but RESERVE 1 1/4 CUPS OF THE PASTA WATER.  Return pasta to the pot.

Shred the chicken using two forks. Discard skin, bones, and anything else in there you don't like. (I usually stick to the breast meat.)

Add the reserved pasta water, chicken, rosemary, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper to the pot. Stir over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.

Divide among individual bowls and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Notes on the Recipe:

If you cook it much longer than two minutes at the end, the shredded chicken will clump together with the Parmesan. That's okay. Just pull it apart with your fork. Still tastes great. Serve with garlic bread and a green salad.

Twice Baked is Twice as Good

Most baked potatoes are bland in my book. Some twice-baked potatoes are just bland to the second degree. These twice-baked potatoes are the best I've ever had. Drop in a little broccoli to make yourself think they're somewhat healthy. My friend Rach and I each scarfed one down as a meal tonight, but David had a bowl of chili with his.

Baked Potatoes for Twice-Baked Potatoes

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub, dry, and lightly rub 4 russet potatoes with veg oil. Bake potatoes on foil-lined baking sheet until skewer can be inserted into and removed with little resistance, 60-70 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 10 minutes. 

Twice-Baked Potatoes with Broccoli, Cheddar, and Scallions (serves 4 as main course or 8 as a side)

1 recipe baked potatoes (above)

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter (melt 2 Tbsp)

6 cups broccoli florets (from 2 pound bunch), stems discarded

Table salt

1 tsp. juice from 1 lemon

1/4 tsp. powdered mustard

6 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded (two cups)

3-4 scallions, sliced thin (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup sour cream (light is okay, too)

1/4 cup half and half

Ground black pepper

1. While potatoes are baking, heat 2 Tbsp. butter in 12-inch skillet over med-high heat until foam subsides; add broccoli and 1/2 tsp. salt and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. water; cover and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Uncover and continue to cook until water evaporates, about 1 minute. Transfer to bowl and stir in lemon juice.

2. Halve each potato lengthwise. Using soup spoon, scoop flesh from each half into bowl, leaving about 3/8 inch thickness of flesh. Place shells cut-sides up on baking sheet and return to oven until dry and slightly crisp, about 10 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile, mash potato flesh with fork until smooth; stir in melted butter, 3/4 tsp salt, powdered mustard, 1 cup cheese, scallions, sour cream, half-and-half, and pepper to taste, then stir in broccoli. 

4. Remove shells from oven; heat broiler. Mound filling into shells; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese and broil until spotty brown, 6-10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; serve.

Notes on this Recipe: 

If you want to bake the potatoes the day before and do the rest the next day, it'll go faster. These microwave well for lunch at work. I like to use extra-sharp cheddar for more flavor.

Grilling Weather

Sunday afternoon was one of those early spring gifts. Around mid-afternoon the clouds parted, the sun shone, and the brightened greenery was all that remained of the morning showers. Perfect for the season's first grilled burgers.

I've been on an Ina Garten kick for a while, so I treated myself to her Barefoot Contessa Parties cookbook. Along with our burgers, I made her Caesar Salad with Pancetta and Real Margaritas. The recipes are below. I halved both recipes for the two of us.

Caesar Salad with Pancetta (serves 6-8)

3/4 pound pancetta, sliced 1/2-inch thick (deli counter)

2 pints cherry tomatoes

olive oil

kosher salt

ground black pepper

2 heads romaine lettuce

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Dressing

1 egg yolk at room temp (I leave this out, and it's still good)

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

8-10 anchove fillets (optional)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 1/2 cups mild olive oil

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut pancetta into cubes or strips and cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes until browned and crisped. Remove to paper towels and drain.

Sprinkle tomatoes with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast on baking sheet for 15 minutes until soft.

Wash lettuce and spin or pat dry. Stack leaves on cutting board and cut cross-ways into 1 1/2-inch slices. Place in mixing bowl.

For dressing, place (egg), mustard, garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in food processor. Process until smooth, then add olive oil in a steady stream through feed tube until thick. Add grated Parmesan (1/2 cup) and pulse 3 times.

Toss lettuce with enough dressing to coat well. Add 1 cup grated Parmesan and toss. Divide lettuce among plates. Add tomatoes and pancetta. Serve immediately.

Notes on the Recipe:

I don't think you really have to roast the tomatoes unless you want to. Since I don't use the egg, I don't care if the dressing is perfectly blended. I just put it all in a tupperware container and shake it well. 

Real Margaritas (serves 6)

1 lime, halved

kosher salt

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5 limes)

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon (1 lemon)

1 cup Triple Sec

3 cups ice

1 cup white tequila (I used Cuervo Gold instead)

If you like salt on the rim, dip your cup in a saucer of lime juice or rub edge with cut lime and dip in kosher salt. 

Combine lime juice, lemon juice, Triple Sec and ice in blender until completely blended. Add tequila and puree for 2 seconds more. Serve over ice with a lime. 

Notes on the Recipe:

I can't find my blender, so I used my food processor. It got a bit messy, but worked fine. If you like your margaritas frozen, halve the ingredients, double the ice, and blend in two batches. Serve with lime.

P.S. When using tequila, you may omit the sass. 

Liam's Lemon Cake

My friend Susan called today for a cake recipe. Her sweet babe Liam will be baptized in a couple of weeks, and she is looking for a fresh, light cake recipe for the celebration with family and friends afterward. I immediately thought of Maida Heatter's East 62nd Street Lemon Cake. Maida is truly a dessert maven, and her lemon cake has been lauded by the likes of Bill Blass and Nancy Reagan—not to mention the Knight family. Light and lemony, this recipe has become synonymous with Easter and Spring to me. Perfect for celebrating little Liam's new life in Christ. (And what says spring like Nancy Reagan's cute little suits?)

Maida Heatter's East 62nd Street Lemon Cake

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 pound (that's right, two sticks) butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup milk

Finely grated rind of 2 large, firm lemons

Adjust a rack one-third up from the bottom of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a plain or fancy tube pan with an 11- 12-cup capacity and dust it with fine, dry bread crumbs (purchased). 

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In larger bowl of electric mixer beat the butter to soften it a bit. Add the sugar and beat for 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs individually, scraping the bowl as necessary with a rubber spatula to keep mixture smooth. On lowest speed, alternately add the dry ingredients in three additions and the milk in two additions, scraping the bowl with the rubber spatula as necessary and beating only until incorporated after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir in lemon rind. Turn the batter into prepared pan. Level top by rotating pan briskly back and forth. 

Bake for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes until a cake tester comes out dry. 

Let cake stand in the pan for about 5 minutes and then cover with a rack and invert. Remove pan, leaving the cake upside down. Place over a large piece of aluminum foil or wax paper and prepare glaze.

Glaze

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup sugar

The glaze should be used immediately. Stir the lemon juice and sugar and brush all over the hot cake until absorbed. 

Let cake cook completely. Use two wide spatulas or a cookie sheet to transfer it to a cake plate. Do not cut for several hours. 

Notes on the Recipe:

If you don't have breadcrumbs to coat the pan, flour will work. Shake flour into the pan, swirl around until coated, and toss out excess. Lemon juice must be freshly squeezed. That's the secret to this recipe.

Heart-Healthy and Tasty to Boot

"When eating tomatoes, heat them up a little and put a little oil in them. It makes it easier to absorb the lycopene," Dr. Oz says. "Lycopene is another antioxidant, but it has additional benefits as well, which are particularly valuable for the heart."

Now don't try to tell me you don't know who Dr. Oz is. Unless you've been under a rock, you know that he is one of Oprah's pet protegees, a health and wellness doc with stellar credentials, including performing quadruple bypass surgery on former President Clinton.

This soup follows Dr. Oz's directions and is scrum-dilly, too. It would be perfect for a new mom meal. And my pregnant friend at work isn't too hip on a lot of flavors right now, but she makes a batch of this once a week for her lunches. It's a flavor you just won't tire of. A bit of zing, but not too hot for the sensitive. (This picture is BEFORE it goes through the food mill.)

I made a batch of this last night and brought some to work today. I offered some to my pregnant friend, but she already had some! The extra soup went to the bachelor dude on our team who, when pressed for a quote, said,  "This soup is the best thing that ever happened to tomatoes. It's spicy ... it's tasty ... it's zesty ... (words failed him here)."

As you may see, I'm on a bit of an Ina Garten kick right now.

Ina's Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 Tbsp kosher salt (or 1 tsp. table salt)

1 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)

6 garlic cloves (or 6 scant tsps. jarred garlic)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter (don't sweat it if it isn't unsalted)

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (otherwise known as "sass")

1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes with juice

4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (buy two packs of the "living basil" at Hen House)

1 tsp fresh thyme (dried fine, but use 1/2 tsp)

1 quart chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper  in one layer on rimmed baking sheet. Roast 45 minutes. 

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute onions and garlic with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, butter and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes until onions begin to brown. Add canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, chicken broth, and oven-roasted tomatoes, including liquid on baking sheet. Bring to boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through food mill fitted with coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings (usually doesn't need any). Serve hot or cold.

Notes on the recipe:

• Doesn't matter if you use big tomatoes or small ones as long as they equal the correct poundage. Big tomatoes may need another slice or two or a bit longer in the oven. 

• If you don't have a food mill, Martha Stewart has a decent one at Kmart on the cheap. Keep cranking the stuff through the mill until it's gone. It isn't a strainer; it's supposed to puree the solids a bit. Scrape off the bottom of the food mill to get all the yummy stuff in your soup.