Spaghetti & Meatballs

When I was in high school, during the summer between my junior and senior year, I had a part time job at a pizza joint near our home.  The owner's wife worked with us and told us her father was the retired Maitre D at Moran's Restaurant in the French Quarter.  Moran's, in it's day had been one of New Orleans premier upscale Italian Restaurants. 

He had taught her their recipe for spaghetti and meatballs and we used that recipe for our "Wednesday Special", you guessed it spaghetti and meatballs.  We used to sell out every Wednesday.

Truth be told, I made this for A.J. when we had been dating for a while and the rest is history.  It is just that powerful.  I think this was the first time I've made spaghetti and meatballs from scratch since we moved to Tennessee. 

So I'm going to share with you!

These meatballs are a combination of 1lb. lean ground beef and 1lb. of Italian sausage, eight slices if bread cubed and soaked in milk, 1 egg, 1/2 cup minced onion, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, salt and black pepper to taste.  Loosely roll into meatballs and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Drain on a paper towel lined platter.  This way all that grease goes in the garbage instead of your sauce.

Over medium high heat, saute 1 onion chopped and 1/2 chopped green bell pepper in 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil.  You want a 2 to 1 ratio of onion to bell pepper.

Once the onion begins to soften, add in 2 tablespoons minced garlic and two tablespoons sliced basil.

Saute the veggies for about 2 minutes.

Add in two 5 ounce cans of tomato paste and hang on to the cans for a few minutes.    Stir and cook down for about 30 minutes.  Depending on the type of pot you're using, you want to make sure the tomato paste doesn't stick and burn.

 

Once the tomato paste has cooked down, add fill each can twice with water and slowly stir the water into the sauce and thoroughly combine.

Add two bay leafs and 2 teaspoons of oregano.

Sink the meat balls into the the sauce.

 

Add in 1 teaspoon of sugar and salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and simmer for 2 hours.  Stir occasionally.

Serve over cooked spaghetti topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Add in some garlic bread and a nice green salad and you will be amazed at the results.

Lasagna

Don't ask why, but I wanted to make and eat lasagna. It's a comfort thing I guess. I don't really have a set recipe to make lasagna and this time well suffice it to say I REALLY did wing it.

Have you ever CRAVED something and "thought" you had all of the ingredients, only to find you kinda had the ingredients but you were too far gone and you decided to plow through and hope for the best? Now you know about this adventure I am about to share with you.

This lasagna turned out really good. This time improvising worked.

Start off by boiling 12 lasagna noodles in salted water for about 10 minutes. Remove the noodles and lay them out flat on waxed paper. Lightly coat the cooked noodles with olive oil so they will not stick together.

Off to a good start with the vegetables. Chop 1/2 medium onion, rough chop 2 cloves of garlic, chop 2 carrots and 2 stalks of celery. Just for fun and because I had fresh basil, add in 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil.

Saute the vegetables in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil for about 5 minutes.

Ok this where things went off the beaten path. Brown 1 lb. of lean ground beef and 1 lb. of Italian sausage. I used 1 lb. of regular pork sausage because that is what I had. Brown meat until it is no longer pink. Drain fat from pan and discard.

Stir in two 16 ounce cans of tomato sauce and one 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes. Season with salt and black pepper. Remove pan from burner and allow to cool slightly.

I didn't have enough ricotta cheese and substituted sour cream. This added an amazing dimension to the flavor of this lasagna! In a medium bowl, mix together one 15 ounce container of ricotta cheese, one 16 ounce container of sour cream, 2 beaten eggs, 2 tablespoons of chopped flat leaf parsley, 1 tablespoon of dried oregano and 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

Now, we are ready to assemble! Coat the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with the meat/sauce mixture.

Place 4 noodles length-wise, over lapping slightly, then place a noodle at each end.

Spread half of what is left of the meat mixture over the noodles.

Spread 1/2 of the ricotta/sour cream mixture over the meat.

Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese over the ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer of noodles, meat, etc. Top with 1-1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Allow to cool for 30 minutes so the lasagna will set and stay together once you cut it to serve.

Round Steak with Fetuccine

Giada DeLaurentis cooked a dish last week on Everyday Italian that really made me drool. It was called Beef Shortribs with Tailigatte. I penciled this in to prepare on Sunday.


There are a few of you who read this blog regularly that live in the Knoxville area. We have commented to each other what a pain grocery shopping is here. Often, it's difficult to get some basic items. Well, difficult is putting it mildly! I went to three grocery stores to try and find beef short ribs; I was told at all three stores that beef short ribs had to be special ordered! Is that crazy or what? There is a well known specialty market that I sent my husband to; I figured no problem, this places carries what you can't find elsewhere - WRONG! They don't carry beef short ribs either.

So what's a girl to do? Evidently the grocery powers that be have deemed beef short ribs illegal here or something. I was forced to do my thing. I am so glad I did. This was a fantastic meal bite after bite.


Round Steak with Fettuccine -

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 strips smokey bacon, cubed
2 lbs. bottom round steak cut into 3" x 4" pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
4 cloves garlic
1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes (whole or diced)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 crumbles, dried rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups beef broth
3/4 cup red wine
1 lb. fettuccine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiana-Reggiano


Place the olive oil in a large heavy stock pot over medium heat. Cook the bacon until golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, season the steak with salt and pepper, and dredge in the flour.

Use a slotted spoon, remove bacon from the pot and set aside.

Add steak to the pot and brown on both sides.

While the meat is browning, combine the onion, bell pepper, parsley and garlic in a food processor and blend until finely minced. Then add the tomatoes and tomato paste and pulse.

Once the steaks ribs are browned, carefully add the mixture from the food processor to the pot.

Return the bacon to the pot and stir. Add the rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, beef broth, and wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste.


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the pot and stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta liquid 1/4 cup at a time, if needed, to moisten the pasta. Transfer to serving bowls, top each bowl with 1 teaspoon of Parmigiana-Reggiano. Serve immediately.


This is my entry for Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Pam at Sidewalk Shoes.

Manicotti (Great for Picky Eaters)

I know what you are going to say by just scrolling through the pictures, before reading this post. Hmm, this looks like the previous post with the enchiladas. You would probably be close to right. I'll explain my dinner time dilemma. I live with my husband, one tween and one teen. The cute and hunky hubby is not a picky eater but the other two humans are. Every now and then I get away with sneaking in some green things, mushrooms and goat cheese but I have to be REEEAL calculating. This week I'm trying to go easy on the homegirlz since they are have TCAP tests at school all week and I want them to eat what I cook and not scrape it into their napkin and tell me they're full and then fifteen minutes later they're into all the junk food they can find. In fact, my teen and pickiest eater I have EVER seen, thoroughly interrogated me about the ingredients. Spinach - nope, that white chunky cheese stuff (ricotta) - nope, mushrooms - nope, chunky tomato pieces - nope (I had my fingers crossed behind my back), any green stuff of any kind - nope (fingers crossed again). She elected to eat dinner with us and cleaned her plate. I should have gambled and added the shrooms...

This is very easy and your picky and non-picky eaters will love it!

Manicotti -

Boil manicotti shells for 7 minutes, remove from pot with slotted spoon and set aside to cool on wax paper.

While the pasta is cooking, grate about 1/2 cup Parmesan Reggiano cheese 1/2 cup of Romano cheese and set aside.

Brown 1 lb. ground sirloin, add 2 cloves minced garlic, salt, freshly ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon basil and 2 tablespoons parsley.

Once meat is browned, drain any accumulated fat and then add 3 to 4 tablespoons of marinara sauce to meat to moisten it up just a bit.

Spoon some marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 oven safe pan; just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

Carefully spoon meat in shells and place in baking dish.

Spoon more marinara sauce over the top of the shells (just a thin layer) and sprinkle Parmesan and Romano cheeses evenly over the shells.

Add an even layer of shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1-1/2 cups). Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Let stand for about 5 minutes to set. Can you not wait to cut into this?

Look at the melted cheese. Ok, Im outta here!

Ground Meat Casserole

I am so sorry I haven't posted in a while. I probably have about 995 reasons why I haven't posted and none of them are facts, like work has been busy, like the two homegirlz that need to be taxied everywhere; oh they like to eat too and to top it off they demand to wear clean clothes. On those crazy afternoons when they have worn me out and I don't feel like cooking is a great "go to" meal.



Ground Meat Casserole - Brown one pound of ground sirloin or lean ground beef. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder as the meat browns. Drain the accumulated grease from the meat and place cooked, drained meat in a size appropriate baking dish (spray dish with non-stick cooking spray). The one shown is 9x9. While the meat is browning, cook 8 oz. to 10 oz of your favorite pasta in salted water until al dente (about 8 to 9 minutes). Add cooked and drained pasta to the baking dish with the meat. Pour in 16 oz. of marinara sauce and 1/2 cup of freshly graded Parmesan cheese. Blend meat, pasta, sauce and cheese and spread out evenly in dish. Top with a combination of shredded mozzarella and sharp cheddar cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Now close your eyes and be thankful for quick, easy and yummy meals like this!

Enjoy!

Meatloaf Braciole

I haven't lived in very many places, I'm just on my second "place". New Orleans is unique in the fact that people for the most part had a set weekly dinner schedule. I don't mean they ate the same meal every Tuesday, etc.; and not every family had the same set schedule. Most people in New Orleans had Red Beans and Rice on Mondays. We didn't, we usually had what my mom called "quickie" meals; like hot dogs, hamburgers, soup and sanwhiches. In New Orleans and I don't know why, but Wednesday is typically Italian day for meals even in my home growing up and now that I have a home of my own. Most of the restaurants in New Orleans have a spaghetti and meatball or lasagne lunch or dinner special. This my easy way of making braciole with out the flank steak.

Braciole - In a medium bowl make a mixture using 1-1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs, 2/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 1 small onion finely chopped, 1/2 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley, salt and pepper and 3/4 cup milk. Blend ingredients to moisten. In a large bowl blend 1 lb. of lean ground beef, 1 lb. ground Italian sauage, salt, fresh cracked black pepper and 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, 2 cloves of garlic minced, 1 egg and 3 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Blend the ingredients, don't overwork the meat. This is the tricky part but very important. Place a sheet of waxed paper on a large baking sheet, dumonsp the meat from the bowl to the middle of baking sheet. Take another large piece of waxed paper and place on top of meat. Take another large baking sheet and place on top of second sheet of waxed paper. Press down on the top baking sheet to spread the meat out in a layer about 1/2 inch thick and approximately 6 inches by 12 inches. One you have pressed the meat out, put 6 slices of proscuitto di parma on the meat sheet, then spread a thin layer of the bread mixture on top and on top of that place 3 slices of provolone cheese. Now take the long side of the meat sheet, grab the waxed paper and use it to roll the meat into a log. Don't get the paper in between, use it to grip and roll the meat tightly. Place the log, seam side down in a large baking dish and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. bake in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour. While braciole is baking, add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter to a pan. When butter has melted into the oil add 4 oz baby bella mushrooms to the pan butter. Saute mushrooms 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour to the pan and cook about 3 minutes to cook off flour. Stir 1 cup red wine into the flour and mushrooms, scrape up the pan drippings and break up any lumps. Reduce wine 1 minute, then stir in 1 cup beef broth and 2 tablesppons tomato paste. Stir to blen then add 1/2 tablespoons of dried oregano, salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Ten minutes before meat is done baste braciole with a couple of spoonfuls of sauce and continue cooking. When done, remove braciole from oven, let cool 5 minutes before slicing. Use remaining sauce to mix with cooked Gemelli pasta and serve.

Yum, Wednesdays aren't so bad afterall!

Ribeye with Penne Pasta

This is an easy and affordable dish that stretches out a couple of ribeye steaks if you are serving steak and pasta lovers.

Ribeyes with Penne Pasta - Season two ribeyes steaks with salt and pepper or McCormick's Montreal Grill Seasoning. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. When oil is heated, sear the steaks for about 3 minutes each side. Remove from pan set aside to cook. Add 2 more tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the pan and saute a couple of handfuls of sliced baby bella mushrooms and one medium, thinly sliced red onion until the mushrooms start turning golden brown and the onion is translucent. Add salt and cracked black pepper to the pan while the veggies are sauteing. Then add four cloves of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano and saute for about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of red wine and saute for another minute to deglaze the pot. Stir in 1-28 oz. jar of your favorite red spaghetti or marinara sauce and 1 cup of beef broth. Cover pot and reduce to simmer.

While the sauce is simmering cook penne pasta in salted water until al dente and drain. Now, trim the fat from the ribeyes and cut into bite size pieces. The ribeye pieces should be rare in the center. Add the ribeye pieces and any juices to the sauce to finish cooking. When the pasta is cooked and drained, add to sauce and stir gently to blend.

Serve in bowls or plates and garnish with shaved parmesan.

Spagehtti and Meatballs - The Big Cheat

A friend of mine leads a very hectic life, like most of us do these days and she doesn't like to cook very much. I made spaghetti and meatballs a week or two ago and had a lot leftover. The girlz think leftovers are kryptonite to their systems, unless there's leftover rice or orzo (which usually leads to a squabble and nothing you want to read about on this blog). I decided to take two servings to work for lunch the next day and give one to my friend. She was wowed. I was embarrassed because it wasn't like I cooked the sauce from scratch; I used a jar sauce and now she keeps asking me when am I going to cook spaghetti again.

The Big Cheat - Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat one egg in a small bowl. In a large bowl combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano, 1 tsp. sweet basil. Mix these together in a bowl with your hands then add in 1 lb. lean ground beef, 1 tablespoon Lea & Perrins and beaten egg. Fold all ingredients together. Blend well but do not work too much or the meatballs will be tough. Gently form into balls and place on a foil lined sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes. Meanwhile pour two jars of Prego (I like roasted garlic) into a pot big enough to hold both jars plus the meatballs and heat on medium-low heat. When meatballs are done, lift with a slotted spoon from pan and let any grease drain and plop them in the pot with the sauce. Boil some angel hair pasta and dinner will be almost ready because we still need to make garlic bread. Melt about 1/2 a stick of butter in a small pan on LOW heat. When butter is almost melted add two cloves of crush garlic. Let it hang out while you're heating your sauce and boiling your pasta. Slice your bread and dip it flat-side down in the garlic butter sauce and put the bread under the broiler until slightly brown around the edges.

Mama Mia - what a cheat!