Turkey Meatballs

I was sitting at work last week, my mind was wondering and I started thinking about what we were having for dinner.  I was planning on making pan seared chicken with....oh crap, I forgot to defrost the chicken!  I really did not want to order take out but I did not want to break the bank buying ingredients for a week night meal.  Ah-ha, homemade meatballs!  I usually have all of the ingredients for this dish on hand with the exception of turkey and it's a quick and easy meal to prepare.  I got the base for this recipe from Giada de Laurentiis' Food Network show.  I really enjoy her cookbooks and her show.  These meatballs do not taste like a quick meal, they are extremely moist, crisp on the outside and the taste of the cheese, turkey and breadcrumbs are a perfect combination! 

If I don't have time to make my own sauce, I cheat and use a store bought sauce.  I have found a store bought sauce that I absolutly love!  HT Traders Tomato Basil Marinaria, sauce from Harris Teeter is the best store bought sauce that I have ever tasted.  It has the texture and taste that perfectly complements these meatballs. 

Ingredients:

1 small onion grated (this is easy to do with a food processor)
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 large egg
1/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs
3 tablespoons of ketchup
1/4 cup of chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan
1/4 cup of Pecorino Romano
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound of ground dark turkey meat
2 jars of high quality store bought sauce or your favorite homemade sauce
1 package of pasta (cooked according to the package directions)

Combine the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, parsley, Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, salt and pepper and a large mixing bowl.  Take off all your rings unless you want turkey stuck in your jewlery, then add the turkey and mix by hand until the ingredients are well integrated. 

Shape the turkey mixture into golf ball sized meatballs and place on a greased rimmed baking pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned and cooked through.  While the meatballs are cooking, heat up the sauce and cook the pasta.  When the meatballs are cooked, remove from the oven and place them in the sauce.  Mix the the meatballs with the sauce until the meatballs are coated in sauce. 

Plate the pasta with the meatballs and sauce, top with some extra Pecorino Romano cheese, put on some Sinatra, and dig in!

Blue Cheese Burgers with Red Wine Onion Jam

"Thank you sir, can I please have another!"

Yamma-hamma, this is a great burger!  It's based on a recipe from Bobby Flay's book "Grill It".  If you like blue cheese, red wine and sirloin, you will love this burger!  This is one burger that is worthy of a fine craft beer or nice bottle of wine.

Red Wine Onion Jam

Ingredients (Serves 4):
1 1/2 pounds of ground sirlion
4 Hamburger buns 
2 tablespoons of Canola oil
Dijon Mustard
1 Small Wedge of Blue Cheese
1 cup of greens (watercress, spring mix, romaine, etc)
Softened butter or margarine

Ingredients for Red Wine Onion Jam:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 red onions cut in half length wise and then sliced thin
2 tablespoons of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons of red wine vinager
1 tablespoon of honey
Kosher salt and pepper

To make the jam, heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.  Add the onion and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the onions are softened and almost caramelized, stirring frequently.  Add the thyme and cook for one minute.  Now your kitchen will smell awesome!  Add the red wine, vinegar, and honey, and cook until the liquid is absorbed (about 10 to 15 minutes).  Season with salt and pepper.  This jam can be prepared well before hand and reheated to room temperature when ready to serve. 

To cook the burgers:
Preheat the grill to high.  Spread the softened butter or margarine on the hamburger buns.  Shape the ground sirlion into 4 patties.  Season the patties with kosher salt, pepper and brush both sides with the canola oil.  When the grill his hot, place the burgers on the grill.  Grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until each side is crusty.  During the last minute of cooking, place 1 or 2 slices of blue cheese on each patty and cover the grill.  When the burgers are done to your liking, remove them from the grill to a platter and place the buttered hamburger buns on the grill.  Cook them until they just start to char.  This will only take a few minutes.

To serve, place some Dijon mustard on each side of the hamburger bun.  Place the burger on the bun.  Top with the red onion jam and greens and serve!  Enjoy with a craft brew or a glass of Cabernet.

Garlicky Green Beans

Do you need a quick, go-to side dish for any night of the week?  This is the one!  It's probably my favorite veggie in our week night rotation.  I would recommend making the trek to Costco to pick up their frozen organic green beans.  I believe they are around 7 dollars, packaged in perfect portion sizes for 4 people, and are ultra convenient.  You can make this dish with fresh green beans but par-boil them first.  To do this, boil the green beans in water until just before they are al dente (cook through but still crisp).  Then place them in a ice water bath to halt the cooking process and drain.  Now proceed with the recipe.


Ingredients:
1 pack of Costco frozen green beans
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and green beans.  Saute for 5 to 10 minutes, tossing frequently until the green beans are cooked through but still have a crisp to them (al dente).  Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Wood Plank Roasted Veggies

One of my planks, looking good after 7+ years of use!

About 7 years ago, my sister Kaitlin, who used to reside in Washington state, gave me cedar and alder roasting planks for Christmas.  When I opened them, I thought they were for decoration, not for cooking.  After she explained what they were, I was intrigued!  These baking planks have lasted for 7+ years and they are going strong!  In fact the manufacturers of these planks say that with proper care, the planks will last for life!  The planks can be purchased from the Northwest Plank Company.  They are a family owned company that replaces every tree they cut down and use no chemicals or preservatives on the planks.  They are 100 percent natural!  You can get baking planks just about anywhere now, but this is a family owned company that is producing planks by hand in a way that is environmentally friendly.  If you are thinking about ordering a plank, check out their site.  The planks are perfect for salmon and veggies.  They will produce a veggie or salmon that is perfectly roasted with a slight "woodsy" flavor.  I cook on my planks a few times a month and they have become one of my favorite cooking tools!  These veggies make a great side dish, or toss them with pasta and your favorite pasta sauce for a healthy vegetarian entree. 

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Fresh Veggies, I'm using 2 Yellow Squash and 2 Zucchini.  Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and mushrooms also work great.
Salt and Pepper

Place a very small amount (1 teaspoon) of olive oil on the plank and spread the oil on the top of the plank with a paper towel.  Place the plank in the oven and preheat to 350.  Cut the veggies into bit size pieces and place into a large mixing bowl.  Toss with olive oil (2 to 3 tablespoons), and salt and pepper.  Toss until the veggies are lightly coated with olive oil, salt and pepper.  When the oven is preheated, place the veggies on the preheated plank and place in the oven.  Roast for 45 minutes and enjoy!

Pan Seared Chicken Breast with a Tomato Wine Pan Sauce

This is a meal that I cook quite often on weeknights.  It's a super simple, super quick meal that both kids and adults enjoy.  The technique of creating a pan sauce is a basic cooking technique that you can use with different ingredients to create you own sauces.  In this instance we are going to create a quick, delicious Italian style tomato sauce.  I'm talking 5 minutes quick, and it beats the pants off Prego!  I serve this meal with cedar plank roasted veggies.

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 small chicken breasts or, if you bought big breasts (insert Bevis and Butthead giggle here), butterfly two of the chicken breasts so that they are about 1 to 1 and 1/2 inch thick.
flour
1 12oz can of chopped tomatoes (juice and all)
1/2 cup dry white wine (chardonnay works great)
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
7 to 10 leaves of fresh basil
salt and pepper
whole wheat pasta

Cook the pasta according to the directions.  Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts.  Butterfly them if they are too thick, transforming 2 chicken breasts into 4 fillets.  Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides.  Place the 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy frying pan and heat over medium high heat.  Dredge the chicken breasts in flour on both sides and place in the frying pan(once the oil is hot) so that they are not touching.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until browned on each side and the chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate or dish.  Do not discard the oil in the frying pan.  

Return the pan to the burner and add the wine to deglaze the pan.  Using a wooden spoon, scrape all of the bits of chicken and flour stuck to the pan loose so that it incorporates into the sauce.  Add the tomatoes, garlic and a pinch of salt.  Turn up the heat to high and reduce the sauce until it thickens.  It should only take about 5 minutes.  While the sauce is cooking, stack several leaves of basil together.  Roll them up like your making a basil cigarette.  Using a sharp knife, slice the basil into thin strips.  This technique is called "chiffon".

To plate, place a serving of pasta in each plate or bowl.  Top with a chicken breast, then spoon the pan sauce over the chicken breast.  Top with the basil chiffon and your ready to go.  You can also add some Parmesan cheese and roasted veggies to round out the dish.  Enjoy!

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

The pork, with Zesty black eyed peas and garlicky green beans.

This is an awesome dish!  It combines some of my favorite things, pork, bacon, whiskey, sugar, and smoke!  I'm salivating just thinking about it!  This dish is adapted from one of my favorite chefs, Steven Raichlen.  His cookbooks bring history and back stories to the dishes, which makes cooking the dishes a little more special.  This recipe is adapted from his book, BBQ USA.  Some aspects of this might seem complicated, but trust me, it's easy!

Ingredients for the pork:

Butterflied and drunk!

1 pork loin 2 1/2 to 3 pounds
3 tablespoons of whiskey
2 tablespoons of you favorite BBQ spice rub (I use a homemade one, I'll post that recipe some day)
2 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup of brown sugar
4 slices of thick cut bacon (Fresh Market "Market Style" is my favorite)
Butchers string
A handful of wood chips (I used pecan wood), soaked in water for 20 minutes. 

Butterfly the pork loin lengthwise.  Do not cut all the way through the loin, leave about a 1/4 of an inch at the bottom of the pork loin as the "binding".  Now open the pork loin like it's a book....a yummy meat book!  Make 1 inch deep cuts in the pork on the inside of the pork loin. Sprinkle the pork loin on the inside and outside with the bbq spice rub.  Work the rub into the cuts you made inside the pork loin.  Take 1 tablespoon of the whiskey and sprinkle it over the inside of the pork loin (the pages of the book).  Let it marinate for 5 minutes.

Pork, bacon, whiskey tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things.

Take the 2 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard and spread it on the inside of the pork loin.  Sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the mustard.  Take the remaining 2 tablespoons of whiskey and sprinkle that on top of the brown sugar.  Now you need to make yourself a drink because the pork should not drink alone!

Close the pork loin, like you would a book.  We will now tie the pork loin closed.  Cut 4 pieces of butchers string in about 12 inch strips and place them on a cutting board parallel to each other.  Place one piece of the bacon perpendicular and in the center of the strings.  Now place the pork loin lengthwise across the strings so that the strip of bacon runs lengthwise down the center of the pork loin.  Place one piece of bacon on each side of the pork loin, running lengthwise, and the last strip of bacon on the top of the pork loin.  Tie up the pork loins.  It should look like a pork loin gift wrapped in bacon!

Now set up your grill for indirect grilling.  If you are using a charcoal grill, push the coals to the sides of the grill so there are no coals in the middle of the grill.   Sprinkle the wood chips onto the coals.  Before placing the pork on the grill, put an aluminum foil drip pan in the center of the grill, under where the pork will sit. 

During the first half hour of cooking

If you are using a gas grill, place an aluminum foil pan in the center of the grill.  Turn on the outer two burners to medium.  The pork will cook between the two burners so that it is not directly over any heat.  Wrap the wood chips in aluminum foil, poke holes in the foil and place on the grate over one of the burners.

Place the pork loin on the center of the grill so that it is not under direct heat.  After 30 minutes of cooking, baste the pork with the glaze (recipe to follow).  Baste every 15 minutes.  Grill the pork for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the pork is 160 degrees. Remove the pork from the grill and let it rest 5 minutes before carving.

The Mustard Whiskey Glaze

Ingredients for the glaze:
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan.  Add the remaining ingredients and whisk.  Boil for 4 to 6 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture is syrupy and thickened.  Let the mixture cool for about 3 minutes then keep the mixture on a very low heat until ready to use.

Zesty Black Eyed Peas

black eyed peas after soaking over night

I'm not talking about Fergie or Will.I.Am, I'm talking about good old fashioned black eyed peas!  This recipe is based on Paula Dean's version of black eyed peas that I saw on one of her shows.  Like most of Paula's recipes, this one contains bacon fat, which makes it super yummy.  If your a vegetarian, or you don't like bacon, you can substitute 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil for the bacon fat.  I've made this for people that don't like black eyed peas and most of them loved this incarnation.  I make them on New Years day for good luck!

Ingredients:
1 bag of dried black eyed peas
1 red onion, diced
4 strips of thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I prefer Fresh Market, "Market Bacon") or 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of chili powder

mid-cook

1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1 12oz can of Ro-Tel (or any chopped tomatoes with green chilis)
3 cups of water

Soak the black eyed peas overnight according to the directions on the package.

Drain and rinse the peas.  Fry up the four strips of bacon over medium heat in a large heavy pot.  Once the bacon is crisp, remove the bacon from the pan and save for later.  Leave the bacon fat in the pot.  Add the diced red onion to the bacon fat and cook until tender and translucent(5 to 8 minutes).  Now add the tomatoes, chili powder, black pepper, salt and water.  Bring to a boil.  Cook the beans at a simmer, covered for 1 hour. 

When serving the peas, top with the crumbled bacon reserved from earlier.  Enjoy! 

The finished product!