Chia Seed Meatballs and Meatball Gratin

These were delicious! With the gestational diabetes, I can't have carbs so I gave chia seed meatballs a try (using chia seeds instead of breadcrumbs). It worked really well. They were super flavorful and you don't really notice the chia seeds, but they bind the meatballs together, and are apparently super good for you. The fennel seeds give them a bit of a sausage flavor and the sundried tomatoes give them some umami and richness. I topped them with marinara sauce, fontina, and pecorino and threw it under the broiler - so tasty! For Jamie, I made a meatball sub. 

Bolognese

Another Barbara Lynch recipe here. She said that her secret ingredient was chicken livers and I really wanted to test it out. It's a great, hearty sauce. It's very meaty and not very tomatoey, so different than what I would normally think of for bolognese, but it was so flavorful and rich and a perfect Sunday dinner with a little pasta and some Pecorino.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
5 oz chicken livers, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh sage, chopped
salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground meat, 1/2lb each pork, veal, and lamb (or beef if you can't find lamb)
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 14.5-oz can chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Wedding Burger

I took off my beautiful, sparkling wedding band because I didn't want it to get all dirty and beefy

We're calling this the wedding burger because it was the first dinner we made when we got back to our apartment as a married couple. (It is also two types of beef, so maybe it works that way, too.) Some very nice friends of ours got us the massive and awesome chopping block and a very scary cleaver. I love them! I was a little afraid to have a cleaver in the apartment just because it seems right out of a horror movie so now it's wrapped up tightly and hidden in a drawer until next time.

Ever since reading this article on the best burgers, I've wanted a cleaver and chopping block to make my own and test it out. It's definitely not the easiest, but it really only takes about 5 minutes to chop up all the meat. The end result is a very juicy burger with an amazing consistency that is more steak-like than burger-like, or a sort of mix of the two. From the chopping, the pieces aren't uniform, so you get this great bite and texture. Jamie can't wait to have friends over to show off our new burgers, and I can't wait to try again with different cuts of beef.

We used 3/4 chuck and 1/4 sirloin from Ottomanellis which was great, but I do want to try some different combinations just to experiment. The chuck had the nice marbled fat, the the sirloin added some tenderness. This is also a fabulous way to blow off steam, so if I ever have a bad day, Jamie will probably be getting burgers for dinner from now on!

Serves 2 (big burgers)
Ingredients
3/4 lb chuck (cold)
1/4 lb sirloin (cold)
salt and pepper

Directions:

Put the chuck and the sirloin on a thick cutting board or chopping block and chop them into a fine mince.

Beef Stew from Leftover Pot Roast

After making a full sized pot roast last week, I had a ton leftover. I put the leftovers into two tupperwear containers and threw them in the freezer. Earlier this week, I decided to take one out to thaw for dinner. Instead of just heating it up, I re-purposed it into beef stew. It was great! I may even like it more than the original pot roast. I put the meat and the sauce into a sauce pan and gently warmed it up and finished thawing it. Once the meat was thawed into to cut, I took it out, put it on a cutting board, and shredded it into bite sized pieces. I returned it to the sauce and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. I added some red pepper flakes, a cap full of Balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of salt to taste. I served it over orecchiette topped with some Pecorino Romano and it was such a tasty stew! A great incarnation of pot roast. I'm having some for lunch today - can't wait!

Pot Roast with Polenta

Merry belated Christmas! Sorry for the break in posts. On December 23, Jamie and I decided we'd exchange our presents and have a special dinner. (He's quite the wrapping enthusiast as you can see above - aren't I lucky?) 

He is not wont to making dinner requests, but I implored him. His request was pot roast. I've never made pot roast before, but it follows the same formula as short ribs, lamb shanks, etc. (Anything you cook for 2+ hours with wine and lots of veggies is always melt-in-your-mouth delicious, so I obliged.) I followed Ina Garten's recipe, but added a little Balsamic vinegar - a trick I learned to give amazing flavor and a touch of sweetness from another slow braise recipe.

Meat Lover's Paradise

I've mentioned Faicco's before, but I don't believe I've given it my proper and usual laud. This "Italian Specialty Store" is right down the street from me and I'm in there about 5 times a week. It's not very big, but you can find almost anything you need for great, Italian fare. When you walk in, on your left is a wall lined with shelves of Strozzapretti and orecchiette and bucatini next to Rao's sauces and jarred peppers and olives and imported flours and olive oils. I always go in and get the Italian 00 flour--this makes homemade pasta light and fluffy and amazing, and works wonders on pizza dough.

To your immediate right is a counter filled with pre-made foods like chicken francaise and veal Parmesan. Following that is an enormous counter filled with all sorts of meats and sausages. Here you can find steak, osso bucco, braciole, thick sliced bacon, ground veal, ground beef, chicken, pork chops, veal scallopini... They also have several types of sausages including spicy Italian, sweet Italian, sweet Italian with fennel, parsley and cheese, and chicken sausage.

Straight ahead is the deli counter. Here you can get sandwiches (I recommend the Italian special, but split it with someone because it's enormous) and a large range of cured meats. I am particularly fond of the prosciutto di parma, the hot sopressata, and the hot capricolo (all of which are present in the Italian special sandwich). Their fresh mozzarella is delicious, especially lightly breaded, sauteed, and served with their marinara sauce.

If you're having people over for dinner and want great hors d'oeuvres that are easy and cheap, go to the back counter and ask for 5 slices of a couple kinds of meat--which will only cost you around $5--and just neatly spread them onto a plate.

Faicco's is at 260 Bleecker street, at Cornelia and next to Murray's cheese. They close at 6, so you've got to stock up on the weekends or, if you live nearby, run in before you head to work.