The Best EVER Spaghetti and Meatballs

12/17/2016 by Laura 3 Comments

I have never been a big of a fan of spaghetti and meatballs, UNTIL NOW! I’ve made many meatballs in my time… all coming close to what I imagined, but never really “nailing it”. That all changed with this recipe. Inspired by a recent meal at our neighborhood Italian restaurant, we decided we must learn to make fabulous spaghetti and meatballs at home. Don’t get me wrong, the meatballs at the restaurant in the ‘hood were great… but, a plate of spaghetti and 2 meatballs for $16 is not sustainable! I set about researching recipes, and there it was on my own bookshelf! I found Frank Pellogrino’s, of the Rao’s family, recipe in my Fine Cooking – Italian cookbook! Since getting a table at Rao’s is virtually impossible…it’s great to have this recipe at hand.

For the meatballs:

We tripled the recipe…plenty for the freezer!

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork

1/2 lb. ground veal

1 Tbs. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup finely grated imported Locatelli Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano (or half and half); more for serving

1-1/2 cups plain dry breadcrumbs, (I used fresh breadcrumbs made from a baguette)

1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup olive oil or vegetable oil; more as needed

1 lb. dried spaghetti

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Break up the ground meat into a large bowl. Sprinkle on the salt, pepper, minced garlic, eggs, grated cheese, breadcrumbs, 1-1/2 cups water, and parsley. Mix with your hands until everything is evenly distributed, but don’t over mix. Shape into meatballs by gently scooping up a handful of meat and rolling it into a nice even ball; each meatball should weigh about 4 oz. and be about 2-1/2 inches in diameter.

In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Gently set six of the meatballs in the oil and fry until they’re lightly browned on the bottom half, 5 to 6 min. Carefully turn them over using a slotted spatula and brown the other side. You are not cooking them all the way through. They will finish cooking in the sauce. This was a big lesson for me….I had always overcooked them, resulting in a dry, tough meatball!

Drain the meatballs on a few paper towels to soak up excess oil. Fry the remaining meatballs the same way.

For the marinara:

I changed this a bit, as we always have #10 cans of Italian tomatoes on hand…yes, seriously

1 #10 can, or 4 28 ounce cans, authentic San Marzano Italian tomatoes (I use Strianese Brand)

1/2 cup good quality, Italian olive oil (I use Partanna Brand)

10 cloves garlic, lightly smashed

2 Tbs. kosher salt; more as needed

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano

optional – 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes – if you like a little heat

In a very large stockpot or heavy dutch oven, sauté the garlic in the olive oil, over low heat. Break up the tomatoes with your hands, while in the can. Add them to the stock pot. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer 2-3 hours while you make the meatballs. Add the chopped fresh herbs during the last hour of cooking. Add the crushed red pepper flakes if using. Add the meatballs during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Simmer very gently.

for the pasta:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the meatballs and sauce have been simmering for about 20 min., add the spaghetti to the boiling water and boil until it’s just about al dente, undercooked a bit.

The next step is called the segreto method, and is key to the success of the entire dish. I had never done this before and it made a huge difference!

When the spaghetti is done, drain it and return it to the pot it was cooked in. (DO NOT RINSE THE PASTA) Add a couple of ladlefuls of the marinara sauce to the spaghetti. Put the pot over high heat and, with a wooden spoon or tongs, constantly toss the pasta until each piece is coated with sauce, about 1 min. Transfer to serving bowls and ladle more sauce over the spaghetti, along with two to three meatballs. Serve with grated cheese.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Dave did…5 meals in a row!

Buona serata,

Laura

Corned Beef on Rye, please!

06/27/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

Cooking officially turns into a project when it results in three trips to the store for ingredients, an hour searching for necessary equipment, and having the stove on all day. Dave did not realize what he had done by pulling a corned beef brisket out of the freezer on Saturday! I had bought it in March for a traditional St. Patrick’s dinner. He was not up to that kind of food, back then, so in the freezer it went. A traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner just did not sound good at the end of June.

What did sound good? Corned beef from Katz’s and Swirl Rye from Zabar’s! Since flying to NYC was not an option, I went in search of the swirl rye that shows up occasionally at one of our local supermarkets. No luck! With the corned beef simmering away in the crockpot, and the swirl rye determination of Jerry, I had no choice but to make the bread myself. I had everything on had except rye flour. For some reason Safeway had four different offerings of almond and coconut flour in three different sections of the store, and no rye flour anywhere. As a matter of fact – there were very few whole grain offerings, but that is another story. As an industry professional, I could fully explain the “reasoning” and/or “logic” behind what does and does not get stocked in the store, but you would all fall asleep in two minutes. So, off to Whole Foods I went. I easily found the necessary rye flour and some beautiful organic blackberries that I decided, on the spot, would go into a cobbler along with the “less than beautiful” apricots hidden in the back of our fridge. See – this is how it goes. All I wanted was a decent corned beef on rye, on a Sunday afternoon! Now I’m baking bread and making cobbler.

I consider myself a fairly accomplished bread baker, although I do not recall ever making a swirl rye. I used the recipe I found on line from Red Star Yeast. My biggest surprise was that darker dough is the same as the lighter dough, with the addition of some cocoa powder! The recipe can be found here.

Roll out the dark dough. Fold over and set aside

Roll out the light dough.

Place the dark dough on the light dough. Trim the sides and edges as needed.

Roll into a loaf. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet that has been oiled.

I made some mini bread sticks with the trimmings. The back deck is a great “proofer” in the summer. I got a great rise on the loaf.

Bake according to directions.

To assemble the sandwich, I sliced the bread a little thick. I spread both sides with mustard. I warmed the sliced corned beef in a small pan with Swiss cheese on top, until it got soft and gooey. I placed the meat and cheese on the bread. I served store bought coleslaw alongside.

I mentioned cobbler, didn’t I! Well, sharing this is going to result in coming clean with one of my short cuts. I use a cobbler mix. It’s fantastic. You can even make this with canned fruit and people will think you spent hours baking. There are a few mixes out there. I used one in a small bag that looks a lot like the fish fry product they also produce. Use any fruit you like. I used chopped apricots and blackberries. Bake according to the directions on the package. By the time I was ready to snap a shot of the finished product, half the pan of cobbler and a pint of ice cream had gone missing. Dave assures you, it was good!

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a great evening,

Laura

“Familiar” Lunchbox Cupcakes

01/25/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

I’m still cooking for one and it is not any easier than it was a couple months ago. Dave is doing amazingly well; unfortunately his throat is still too swollen to swallow more than a smoothie, or an occasional IPA! The doctors tell us this is not unusual as it takes a long time to heal from intense radiation treatments. Dave being Dave, he has taken to making my dinner. It’s a nice break for me, but I believe it must be torture for him!

Flipping through Food & Wine magazine Friday night, I became intrigued with Mindy Segal’s Chocolate Buttermilk Snack Cakes. The truth is, I really miss baking. I used to bake before Fentons band practice as I knew whatever I came up with, would be gone in a few hours. I actually like “the baking” more than I like “the eating”. I am happy with one or two cookies, or as in this case, one cupcake. I knew our friend Jeff would be thrilled with a “clean” version of that familiar and “toxic” lunch box treat. Jeff and I frequently discuss possible recreations of our childhood favorites! I baked the cakes on Saturday, filled, frosted and delivered them on Sunday. The only resemblance to the elementary school lunch-box version, is the squiggle on top! The rich, moist dark chocolate cupcake is filled with creamy marscapone cheese and sweetened whipped cream and topped with a bittersweet dark chocolate glaze. My adaptation of Mindy’s recipe is below. And yes – that is Dave’s original lunch box!

For the cupcakes

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup strong, brewed coffee, cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup canola oil

1 large egg

Pour the buttermilk and the coffee into a 2-cup measuring cup. Add the vanilla. Set aside.

Place the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Fluff with a whisk to break up any clumps and mix all ingredients together. Set aside.

In a large stand mixer, beat the sugar and the oil until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated.

With the mixer running on low, add 1/3 the flour mixture and 1/3 the milk mixture. Repeat until all ingredients are incorporated.

Heat the oven to 350′. Oil two 12 cup cupcake tins, with coconut or canola oil spray. Place 2-3 Tablespoons of batter in each cupcake cup.

Bake for 6 minutes, rotate pans and bake another 6 minutes. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cupcakes cool slightly and remove to a rack, placed over a baking sheet. Meanwhile, make the filling.

For the filling

1 cup mascarpone cheese

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of kosher salt

Beat the heavy cream with the powdered sugar for a few minutes to thicken up a bit. Add the vanilla and the mascarpone cheese and continue to whip until smooth and thick.

Two options for filling the cupcakes:

Slice the cupcake 2/3 of the way through and place filling in the middle of each one with a spoon.
Remove the center “core” of the cupcake and fill them using a pastry bag fitted with a metal tip. This is what we did. We used a large straw to “core” the cupcake.

Fill all cupcakes, and return to the wire rack placed over a baking pan. Meanwhile, make the glaze.

For the dark chocolate glaze

(inspired by this recipe)

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

pinch of Salt

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream with the sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes; whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Let the dark chocolate glaze cool until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

Drizzle a large spoonful of glaze over each cupcake. Please the cupcakes in the refrigerator to cool, at least 30 minutes.

I used Betty Crocker white frosting in the tube, with the tip provided, to make the squiggles on top. You could use homemade Royal icing. I chose not to, as I needed such a small amount.

I hope you enjoy these!

Have a wonderful evening,

Laura

Let the grilling season begin!

06/10/2015 by Laura Leave a Comment

Summer has arrived ahead of schedule in Seattle. We are experiencing record breaking temperatures in the low 80’s. Our garden is loving every minute of it, and I am certain I will have ripe tomatoes very soon.

As you know, we grill all year ’round for pleasure, but when it is as hot as it is, it is out of necessity.

One of our summertime favorites is Dave’s bbq chicken. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, low heat and frequent turns result in moist, juicy and tender chicken. We love the whole chicken legs as they cook evenly and have lots of flavor. Our favorite side dish is our traditional potato salad. Did you know nasturtiums flowers and leaves make lovely garnishes and they are edible! Stay cool and enjoy!

BBQ Chicken and Potato Salad Directions

Have a wonderful evening,

Laura

Dave’s Diner – The All American Burger!

07/06/2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

Dave has mastered the art of grilling a burger. He mixes 80/20 organic ground beef with salt, pepper, seasoning salt, and a little water. He heats the grill for a solid 15 minutes to ensure it is at the maximum temperature. The patties are seared about 5 minutes per side. He adds cheese the last few minutes, and lightly toasts the buns. Once removed from the heat, the meat rests at least 5 minutes. The best thing about grilling your own burgers? You can have it YOUR WAY! Mine was served with lettuce, tomato, dill pickle, purple onion, mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup. Oh, and a few sweet potato fries! My other favorite is with pepper jack cheese, grilled Anaheim chili, purple onion and avocado. Dave loves sautéed mushrooms and Swiss cheese on his. How do you like your burgers?

The picture below is one of the hummingbirds who lives in our back yard all year around. He loves the crocosmia, which is just outside of my office window. I caught this shot around dusk, while waiting for Dave to finish grilling our burgers.

Dave’s Diner – Summertime Macaroni Salad

06/11/2014 by Laura 2 Comments

We posted this recipe last summer with some pretty bad photos. You may remember, Dave has taken over macaroni salad responsibilities. It is one of his favorites and I used to make it for him. Last summer, due to my heavy travel schedule for work, Dave decided to learn to make it on his own. After a couple of phone calls; one to me and one to his Mom, he had his recipe down! This post is especially fun as I was away when Dave made this. He set up the shots and took all the photos himself! He also made bbq chicken to go with this salad, but did not get any shots. Maybe next time!

Dave’s Summertime Macaroni Salad

1 1lb package elbow or salad macaroni, cooked according to directions (be sure not to overcook), rinsed, drained and cooled

6 hard-boiled eggs, cooled, peeled and chopped

1.25 cups chopped dill pickle (I used to use sweet pickle – Dave changed it up)

1.25 cups diced celery

1.25 cups chopped, purple onion

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes

1 to 1.5 cups mayonnaise, depending on how you prefer the salad

2 T. yellow mustard

2 T. pickle juice

2 t. celery seed

1 t. celery salt

salt and pepper to taste

paprika for garnish

Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir together gently. Place in serving bowl, garnish with paprika and chill at least 4 hours. This salad is actually best chilled overnight.

As with all kitchen endeavors, Dave had a lot of help with this recipe. (Photo from first post.)

Dave’s Diner – Chicken Fried Steak

03/21/2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

In celebration of MSLS one year anniversary, I have added a new category to our blog: Dave’s Diner! Here you will find some of our favorite 50’s style dishes. Yes, I might finally share my Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe with you, along with other meals that take you right back to your childhood or neighborhood diner! Our first post in this category – Chicken Fried Steak! I think the first time I had it was in a diner with my grandparents! We only make this a couple of times a year for obvious reasons.

For the Chicken Fried Steak

4 small cube steaks

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons Mrs. Dash

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic pepper

1 cup of milk

2 eggs, beaten

oil for frying

heavy skillet, preferably cast iron

Add the spices to the flour and place on a large plate or pie pan.

Add the eggs and milk to a bowl that is large enough to dip the steak in. Mix well

Dredge the steak in the seasoned flour, then dip in the egg mixture, and then dredge in the flour one more time.

Place the steaks in the hot frying pan and brown on both sides. Move the steaks to a baking pan and set aside. Bake the steaks about 15 minutes in a 350′ oven, while you prepare your mashed potatoes and make the country gravy.

For the Country Style Gravy

4-6 tablespoons of oil, remaining in pan

1/2 cup of the remaining seasoned flour

2 cups of milk or cream

1 cup of chicken stock

Drain all but 4-6 tablespoons of oil from frying pan. Heat the oil over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and brown to make a medium rue, about 5 minutes. Add in the milk, while whisking, bring to a simmer. The gravy will be very thick. Add the chicken stock and continuing whisking and simmering until desired thickness is reached. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Reduce heat to low and keep warm while you prepare rest of meal.

Prepare your favorite mashed potatoes and vegetable while the steaks are in the oven for 15 minutes at 350′. Enjoy!