Polpette di Carne, or meatballs in tomatoe sauce Neapolitan style

I am Italian. Specifically my family is from Bari (Apulia, or Puglia region of Italy) Italy. My grandmother cooked by the eyeball method, so I find myself doing this when I cook Italian food. I don't really measure anything out. This makes posting a recipe difficult at times.

I had some ground buffalo beef in the fridge and wanted to try it in meatballs. I found a couple of recipes, but no single one really sounded good so I combined a couple and hoped for the best. They turned out great, and were seriously to die for. Will never use regular ground beef again. I think for this to truly be Neapolitan (Naples or Campagna region), I would have added white raisins and pine nuts to the meatballs and deep fried them. Alas, I had no raisins and I am allergic to nuts, so out they went. If you decide to add them, it would be 1/3 cup each. Also, deep frying was not on my radar for this night. I am not averse to it, but I wanted this to be a healthier meal.

The recipes I hacked up were a combination of 2 from (will have to try adding the spinach next time) internet and one from my Italian Regional Cooking by Ada Boni. GREAT, authentic recipes in this book. Get it!

Buffalo meatballs:

2lbs ground beef
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1 cup shaved Parmesan cheese (I love the shaved chunks better than grated. I used DiGiono, but you can shave your own which is even better)
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp Italian herbs (or I might have used more...do this to taste...oregano, basil and parsley...you can also use fresh. Remember that the bread crumbs are seasoned too so don't overdo it. Although, I am not sure you can overdo italian seasonings)
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Mix this all up with your hands (yes, that is seriously the only way to really do this if you want authentic, italian meatballs ;*)) to incorporate everything together, but don't over work it. Form into balls. Mine were largish as you can see. Then roll them in some bread crumbs.



Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and bake your meatballs @ 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.....or more (am so bad about the timer....mostly I eyeballed these, Grandma Balducci style) I turned mine and let them get brown just a bit. You will know when they are ready.

For the sauce I poured about 4-5 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan and sautéed 1/2 a chopped onion with 4-5 cloves garlic. When translucent I added a large can of italian San Marzano tomatoes and broke them up as they heated up. Add a can of tomatoe paste and 1-2 of the paste cans of water, depending on how thick you like your sauce.I think I added 1 can. Stir this up and add about 1 tsp sugar to break the acidity. Now grab some red wine and add a dash. And another. Okay, maybe one more. I used an organic Cabernet....maybe 1/4 cup or a bit less.. Basically just add to taste. Now add salt to taste. Cook for 40 minutes. You can add some herbs to this, but remember you are adding your meatballs, so use care.

Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes. I think mine went for 45 minutes or more because getting 4 kids to the dinner table is like herding cats....or worse. Am serious. Its okay though. The longer the meatballs are simmered, the more the flavor infuses the sauce.

I served this over Gluten free rice spaghetti (I use Mrs Leeper's). It was soooo good. It had a deep, rich taste that I attribute to the ground buffalo and red wine. I will make this recipe as my go to meatball in spaghetti sauce dish for sure. It was that yummy.

Ahi!!

I love Ahi tuna. So healthy and yummy. I know it is a bit pricey, but it is so worth it.

My kids even like it. The little ones call it steak and have no idea they are eating fish. Even my seafood loathing 14yo likes it.

When I grill it, I marinade it in Braggs organic and gluten free Healthy Vinaigrette. I also pour some over it while the steaks are on the grill. I like mine pink inside, but cook the rest of the families almost all the way through. I served this with steamed veggies (new potatoes and green beans with red and yellow grape tomatoes) tossed with More Bragg's Vinaigrette

I also prepare a few extra steaks so I can have grilled tuna salads during the week for lunch. Healthy and gluten free!

Gluten-Free Backyard Bourbon Marinade

Today I was going through my utility room cabinets perusing old and not-frequently-used cookbooks. I pulled out "The Jimtown Store Cookbook," which was published 10 years ago. I had purchased the cookbook for its amazing buttermilk pie recipe. However, I retired the book four years ago when I was diagnosed with celiac disease. No more pie, no more cookbook. But today, I found I had retired the book way too soon!

I perused the recipes and was struck with the number of delicious offerings that were either gluten-free or could be easily adapted. The longer I deal with this disease, the more adept I've become at substituting or reworking a wide variety of recipes. To sum it up, I'll be cooking from the "Jimtown" cookbook more often. 

Tonight's menu featured porterhouse steaks, and this marinade is PERFECT for steaks. I don't have a picture (because it's a Coca-Cola colored mixture in a tupperware bowl), but trust me -- it's worth the time to let your steaks linger in this goodness!! Then put them on the grill.  Let steaks rest for about five minutes after you take them off the grill. Then enjoy this "ambrosial" goodness!

First off, here is a link to buy your own Jimtown Store cookbook if you're interested. 

Backyard Bourbon Marinade

Ingredients:

6 cups water

1 cup Maker's Mark Bourbon

1-1/4 cup of gluten-free soy sauce (not reduced sodium)

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together in a non-reactive large bowl (I use a large Tupperware mixing bowl with the "burping" lid ). 

Put steaks in marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least three hours. Overnight is even better! 

Blood Orange, Beet and Fennel Salad

I snagged this recipe from Food and Wine magazine and made a few modifications. It's delicious. It's beautiful. It's Gluten-Free and oh so good for you. I made this for the first time a few days ago. Tonight, I am repeating it to serve with bacon-wrapped filets from Roy Pope Grocery (a hometown classic!). The sweet/tartness of the oranges and the fresh fennel taste is unbeatable. Start a bit early with this recipe so you'll have time to segment the oranges and bake the beets.

Lovely salad!

Ingredients:

2 medium red beets (tops trimmed)
2 medium golden beets (tops trimmed)
3 blood oranges
1 medium naval orange
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/2 fennel bulb (thinly sliced using a mandoline -- see photo below)
1/4 red onion (or sweet 1015 onion)
Good quality pecan oil (I buy mine at Central Market)
Coarse sea salt
freshly ground pepper
handmade goat cheese (NOT feta cheese -- the handmade goat is mild tasting and has the texture of cream cheese)

This is a mandoline, a gizmo used to thinly slice veggies and fruits.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets individually in aluminum foil and place on rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for one hour or until beets are tender when pierced with a knife. Let cool before handling.

Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from all oranges. Cut between membranes of 2 blood oranges to release segments into a medium sized bowl. Squeeze juice out of the membranes and discard membranes. Slice remaining blood orange and sweet naval orange crosswise into thin rounds. Place sliced oranges in bowl with the segments. Add lemon and lime juice.

Blood and navel oranges. Sliced and segmented.

Sliced fennel and red onion.

Peel cooled beets and slice 2 beets into thin rounds. Slice the remaining two beets into wedges.

Strain citrus juices from bowl into measuring cup.

Layer beets and oranges (sliced and segmented) on plates, dividing evenly between plates. Arrange fennel and onion over the beets. Spoon reserved citrus juices over fruit/veggie arrangement and drizzle pecan oil generously over it all. Top with coarse sea salt, pepper and a dollop of goat cheese. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow for the flavors to blend. Enjoy!!

Welcome Blake, Guest Recipe Maven!

I know you all enjoyed Monday's post from our buddy Blake. Blake grew up in "the hood" with Jody and me. We all went to the same high school, and afterwards, Blake joined me at TCU for some good clean sorority fun ;). Now we are spread out in different parts of Texas, but we're still "sisters!" And Blake loves to cook for the men in her life (hubby and two boys).

Stay tuned for more guest posts and delicious recipes!

Tortilla Soup **

**(Can be gluten-free -- check your enchilada sauce can)

Ok this is not fancy but yummy and very easy and quick!

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

1 12 oz can mexican corn

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro

1 can diced tomatos

1 can mild enchilada sauce

2 cups water

3 sliced soft corn tortillas

olive oil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp chilli powder

1/2 chopped onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

salt and pepper to taste

tortilla chips

sour cream

shredded cheese

In large saute pan saute oil in garlic and onion and cooked shredded chicken breast, add tomatos, add corn and then add stock and water and enchilada sauce. Stir well and then add the cilantro, cumin, chili powder and oregano. After everything is cooked through then add salt and pepper to taste and add the tortilla strips and cook till soft. Serve in bowls and put a dollop of sour cream and cheese on top and a few chips if you prefer some crunch!

Bourbon-Butternut Squash Soup

Gluten-free recipe. After the Christmas-time feeding frenzies, I always seem to find myself scouting out soup recipes for  January dinners. This soup is perfect for the fall and winter seasons. Organic butternut squash is plentiful in grocery stores, and when roasted, yields a "meat" so flavorful and rich that it needs neither butter nor salt. The following recipe is an excuse for me to use my favorite gluten-free bourbon in a recipe (Maker's Mark). It's also an excuse to showcase the flavor of the regal butternut squash. 

The following recipe is my own -- an amalgam of the best of several different recipes.

Bourbon and Butternut Squash Soup 

with Bourbon Créme Fraiche

Ingredients:

1 large organic butternut squash (3 pounds)

olive oil for greasing squash

1 T olive oil

1 cup diced onions

1 cup diced leeks

1/2 t. cumin

2 T chopped fresh garlic

1 T chopped fresh ginger

2 T maple syrup, grade B

2 T gluten-free soy sauce

1/4 c. bourbon (Maker's Mark is my fave & gluten free)

1/2 c. dry sherry

1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg

5 cups gluten-free chicken stock

1/4 c. heavy whipping cream

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave squash on high power for 2 minutes to make it easier to cut. Cut squash in half length-wise and remove pulp and seeds. Brush exposed flesh with olive oil and place face down on foil-lined baking dish. Add 1/4 cup of water to dish and then cover tightly with foil. Cook for 90 minutes (one hour for convection ovens). 

It should be very soft when you push on it. Scoop it out into a bowl. 

In a heavy soup kettle (I use my 6-quart Le Creuset), heat the olive oil and add onions. Cook until light golden brown and add leeks and cumin. Cook for 2 minutes and add garlic and ginger. Cook for one minute. Then add maple syrup, soy sauce, bourbon, sherry and nutmeg. Add squash and stock and bring to boil. Lower the heat and cook gently for 15 minutes. 

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Add cream, but do not reheat to a boil because the cream will clot and make lots of white specks throughout the soup.

For an added touch, garnish the soup with:

Maker's Mark Créme Fraiche 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of Maker's Mark bourbon

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 T buttermilk

1 teaspoon salt

Place cream in heavy saucepan and heat to 100 degrees. Remove from heat and add buttermilk. Transfer to a small jar and store for 24 hours at room temperature (75 degrees). When créme fraiche has thickened, add the salt and bourbon and stir until incorporated. Place in a small container and refrigerate until ready to use. If you don't have time to make your own créme fraiche you can purchase some at the grocery store and incorporate the bourbon. 

A perfect pot of soup.

Next-day leftovers are even more flavorful.