Cook's Country Drop Meatballs

Never in my life have I made meatballs. Too much trouble! Always I brown ground beef and onion in a skillet and then add my spaghetti sauce. At times I've turned crushed tomatoes into pasta sauce, but frankly often use Whole Foods 365, Barilla, or another commercial brand of tomato sauce ... I'm not gonna lie!

After watching an episode of Cook's Country I'm now interested in trying its easy (Philadephia-inspired) recipes for drop meatballs and homemade tomato sauce. There's no bread to break up and no browning of the meatballs! Despite the simplification of steps, the dish is fancy enough to serve dinner guests, so I'm putting it on the blog with plans to invite friends over for a taste test!

Here's the episode and below is the recipe written out for our convenience  ...

Cook's Country Drop Meatballs and Pasta Sauce

Ingredients for the meatballs:

22 square saltines

1 cup milk
2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Fresh chopped basil.

Directions for the meatballs:

1) Crush the saltine crackers using a rolling pin with the saltines inside a sealed plastic bag.

2) Empty into a mixing bowl and add a cup of milk. After the crackers soften mix it together into a paste.

3) Add the 2 lbs of ground meat and 2 oz of grated Parmesan cheese to the cracker-milk mixture.

4) Toss in the garlic powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper. 

 

5) With your hands combine the meatball mixture but don't over mix or the meatballs will get tough. No eggs are needed because the hot sauce will provide the structure for the meatballs to hold them together.

6) Form into 24 - 1/4 cup size meatballs.

7) Skip the browning. Instead put the meatballs in the refrigerator while making the tomato sauce.

Ingredients for the tomato sauce:

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 (28-ounce) cans of crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions for the tomato sauce:

1) Mash 10 garlic cloves and toss into E-V olive oil in an oven-safe-pot. Turn on the stovetop and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes until the garlic is golden brown on both sides. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds. Next, add salt and pepper.

2) Retrieve the uncooked meatballs from the refrigerator and lay them one by one in the sauce which is still in the pot.

3) Bring to a simmer on the stovetop, then cover and place in a preheated 400-degree oven to cook for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven. Top with fresh chopped basil if you wish.

4) Meanwhile make 2 lbs of spaghetti pasta. You'll need 4 quarts of water, 1 tablespoon of salt and to boil the pasta for 7 - 8 minutes for al dante noodles. Also after draining the water, put a spoonful of tomato sauce into the pasta and mix to keep it from sticking.

Plate your food and eat! The recipe is for 2 pounds of pasta. Feel free to make one pound of pasta and freeze half the tomato sauce with drop meatballs for another day.

You may also enjoy:

Making Pizza Dough

Mocha Chocolate Cake

Emeril's Virgin Or Bloody Mary

Salmon Cakes With Spicy Rèmoulade Sauce

You Are What You Eat

Good nutrition builds body cells, keeps us healthy and helps us stay mentally alert. With spring here and summer fast approaching, it's the perfect time to add healthy foods, including an assortment of fruits and vegetables to your diet. The price is right, and you can afford to be adventurous. Have fun mixing it up. Eat a variety of colors and experiment with new recipes.

Recently I tried making homemade tomato sauce. It was nearly as convenient as opening a jar, and I thought tasted better and fresher without the unnecessary preservatives -- with names I can't even pronounce.

Then I wanted a cool, sweet treat, so I threw blueberries and skim milk into a blender and added sweetener to get a refreshing, low fat - high protein smoothie. It's cheaper than ice cream, good for you and delicious. (You may not want to give up ice cream entirely; just reserve it as a special treat.)

Both recipes are keepers. See if you agree:

Homemade Tomato Sauce

2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes (Break the tomatoes up with your fingers.)

Extra virgin olive oil for sautéing garlic, onions and vegetables in a skillet --

1 medium onion, diced and sautéed

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt
fresh black pepper

1 teaspoon oregano [all the spices to taste]

1 tablespoon basil

1 teaspoon garlic (or sautée 4 cloves garlic)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Optional:

Add any, or all the following to the tomato sauce --

1 small bell pepper, diced and sautéed

1 small zucchini, diced and sautéed
2 or 3 mushrooms, sliced and sautéed

Separately, brown and add some (1/4 - 1/2 pound will do) lean ground beef

Throw the above into a large pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour over cooked pasta of your choice. Makes 6 servings.

Berry Smoothie

Drop into a blender:

1 cup skim milk

Choose one: 1/3 cup frozen strawberries; or 1/3 cup frozen blueberries; or use fresh berries and 3 ice cubes

2 teaspoons sugar, or a natural sweetner.

Blend for a minute, or until smooth. Pour into a tall glass. Makes one serving, so multiply for the number of servings needed. Enjoy!