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It’s been a while since I’ve put up one of my recipes. Been writing a lot about restaurants, classes and travel recently and just haven’t been motivated to really get in the kitchen very often. Last night, that changed and I am feeling like I am ready to get back behind the stove. What to cook… what to cook. I figured that the grocery store would be my inspiration- and Wegman’s never fails to be inspiring. What a great grocery store.
As we were walking around gathering up our goods, I noticed the prepared meat cooler had a bunch of tasty looking meatballs. I pointed them out to Caroline and went up to the window to get six or seven. Caroline asked why I wasn’t making my own. Good question. Inspiration from all directions. I was on a quest through the store to pick up all the goods that I needed. Ground beef, lamb and pork sausage to start. Fresh herbs, garlic and onions. Can’t forget the bread, so we picked up a crusty loaf of baguette. Since we were at the lake house and I don’t have a pasta roller, we picked up some Buitoni refrigerated fresh spaghetti. Sometimes you just gotta cut corners.
I’ve never made a meatball in my life. That being said, I didn’t want to review any recipes either so I put my thinking cap on for a day. The meat part was already done, just needed binder and filler. I decided to use egg for the binder and fresh herb breadcrumbs for the filler. Next up, I would pan sear the meatballs to give them some texture and give my sauce some extra flavor. I planned to finish the meatballs off in the oven while my marinara came together. Plan 1 complete.
The marinara sauce started off simple, with just tomatoes, garlic and herbs. But then I saw a can of artichoke hearts in the cabinet and some picholine olives in the fridge that were just calling out to me. Sometimes the ingredients choose what they are going to do, at least around my house. The plan was to sweat the onions and garlic before searing the meatballs and then add them back to the mix after the pan was deglazed. The sauce would need more structure, so I planned on adding some tomato paste, crushed red pepper flakes and some grated pecorino. Plan 2 complete.
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These artichoke hearts were begging to go in this dish. Photo by Scott Groth
For the bread, I wanted to do something a little different than simple garlic bread. For this recipe, a head of garlic would be roasted for over an hour. I would then smash the garlic, mix it with salt and pepper and smear it over some toasted baguette. A shave of fresh parm on top would round it out. Everything was planned and my ingredients were lined up like soldiers on the counter. Time to execute.
Makes enough sauce for 4 people, with some extra meatballs hanging around.
Ingredients:
For the Meatballs:
Six 1/4″ thick slices of baguette
1/2 lb ground beef (85/15)
1/2 lb ground lamb
1/2 lb loose ground pork sausage (mild or hot, depending on your tastes. I used mild)
1.5 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped fine (this is an approximation)
1.5 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped fine (this is an approximation)
1.5 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped fine (this is an approximation)
2 teaspoons granulated garlic (not garlic salt!)
Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper
1 egg
For the Marinara:
1 white onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup red wine (a light chianti, barolo or nebbiolo)
1 28 ounce can of whole or crushed tomatoes (fire roasted if you’ve got em)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 14 ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered (I used Trader Joe’s- really tasty)
1/2 cup rough chopped picholine olives (or substitute kalamata olives) make sure there are no pits!
1/2 cup grated pecorino
1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1.5 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped fine (this is an approximation)
1.5 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped fine (this is an approximation)
1.5 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine (this is an approximation)
For the Roasted Garlic Toast:
1 head garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper
1 crusty baguette, cut into slices (2 per person should be enough)
Fresh parm
Ok. Fire up the oven to 350 degrees. While that is heating, take all the meat out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Next, take the garlic head and slice off the top. Place the garlic head, root side down, in an oven-proof ramekin. Pour the olive oil over it and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and place in the oven for at least an hour. We’re going to make our fresh bread crumbs next. Get out a baking sheet and place the six baguette slices on it. Toss in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the bread is completely crisp.
While these items are in the oven, get to prepping the other ingredients. Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Chop up the herbs. Open all the cans. Make sure you drain and chop the artichoke hearts. Once the bread is crispy, take it out of the oven. I rough chopped the bread and tossed it into the mini-prep. Process until you have a fine crumb consistency. Add in the herbs and process again to incorporate the herbs into the crumbs. Great, we have fresh herb breadcrumbs.
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Fresh herb breadcrumbs really help to flavor the meatballs. Photo by Scott Groth
Take out a large bowl and add all the meat to the bowl. Pour in the breadcrumbs, add the garlic powder, salt & pepper and crack the egg into the mix. Discard the shell. Overworking the meat will result in tough meatballs- I know this from overworking hamburger meat. What you can do is use two wooden spoons to mix everything together. For some reason, this method always gives me a less dense meat product. Incorporate all the ingredients together.
Take out a plate for a place to put the prepared meatballs. Start to gently form each meatball. I’m guessing, but each one was probably about a quarter cup of meat that was rounded out. I got 12 meatballs out of the mixture. Set these aside when they are made.
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Heck yeah, we've got some homemade meatballs people. Photo by Scott Groth
Take out a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add a two count (about 2 tablespoons) of olive oil. Add the onions and sweat for about five minutes. Stir to avoid browning. Next, add in the minced garlic. Stir to avoid burning for about 2 minutes. Scrape out of the pan into a bowl and set aside.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet and turn to high heat. Begin to sear the meatballs, about 4 at a time. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan. As they cook, rotate them until all sides are brown. Remove from the skillet and place on the baking sheet used for the baguette. Repeat the process until all the meatballs are browned. Place the baking sheet with the meatballs into the oven for about 30 minutes.
Next, you have to defat the pan. Pour off the fat into a jar or something. I line a bowl with foil and pour the fat into that. Put the pan back over medium heat and deglaze with the wine. Make sure you are scraping all the bits off the bottom. After about 30 seconds, pour in the tomatoes and add the onions and garlic back in. If you used whole tomatoes, start to break them down with a wooden spoon. Add in the tomato paste. Let this come to a simmer. Continue to stir for about 15 minutes, then add in the artichoke hearts, chopped olives and crushed red pepper. Cook for another 15 minutes.
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Stir the marinara every now and again to avoid burning. Photo by Scott Groth
While the sauce is simmering, it’s a good idea to bring your pasta water to a boil. Make sure you are using a large enough pot. Salt the water only after it has come to a boil. If you are using fresh pasta, add it in after everything else is done cooking. It only takes about 2 minutes to cook. When you start cooking the pasta, toss the baguette slices into the oven or toaster oven to warm up.
Let’s take the garlic out of the oven. Be careful when handling as it is very hot. I simply take a sharp knife and run it along the inside of the ramekin to open the foil like the lid of a can. Take the garlic, flip it over and let it sit root side up until it has cooled. Remove from the ramekin and give it a squeeze on the sides. The garlic should just fall out. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and smash with a fork. Set aside until needed. I put the parm block and a vegetable peeler next to the garlic now so it is ready when I need it.
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Delicious, roasted garlic. Photo by Scott Groth
Taste the sauce. Be careful when adjusting the salt levels- the pecorino that we will be adding has salt in it. My sauce had an acidic corner to it that needed to be rounded out. I added in some butter which did the trick and gave the sauce some really nice depth. When the sauce tastes right to you, add in the fresh herbs (reserve just a little for plating) and grated pecorino. Turn off the heat and stir until incorporated.
Remove the meatballs from the oven and check to ensure they are cooked through. Drain the pasta and then put it back into the pot it was cooked in. Pour in about a cup of the sauce over the pasta and stir. This is very important- it infuses the pasta with flavor. Next, smear the garlic on the toasted baguette and shave some parm on top with the vegetable peeler.
Divide the pasta into however many bowls you need. Place a meatball in the middle, coat with the sauce and sprinkle some grated pecorino and fresh herbs on top. Add in the roasted garlic toast and you’ve got a killer meal. Enjoy with the rest of the bottle of wine and serve the meatballs until you run out. For about an hours work, this is a really delicious dinner. Kick back with your family and/or friends and enjoy.
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Looks, smells and tastes like a fantastic dinner. Get some! Photo by Scott Groth