Polenta with Meatballs

Hey there– Had a fun day yesterday, catching up with all my blog buddies that I’d missed while we were traveling.  So great to see all you’ve been cooking up and creating and doing with your families…  I’ve missed being in touch!

Besides all that blog browsing, of course, there was dinner to put on the table.  And here it is.  Well spiced meatballs in a bright tomato-y sauce over creamy warm polenta.  With a salad and a cup of wine, just right for a warm evening’s supper.

POLENTA WITH MEATBALLS

Meatballs:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Sauce:
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. sugar
2 tab. dried oregano
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Polenta:
14 oz. can chicken broth
1  1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cream (or half & half)
2 tab. butter
1 cup dry polenta

Garnish:
grated parmesan
chopped Italian parsley

To make the meatballs, stir together all the meatball ingredients.  With you hands shape about 15 two inch meatballs and set them on a baking sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

Pop them into a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, until they are browned and cooked through.

While they are baking, mix the crushed tomatoes, sugar, oregano and salt & pepper in a large sauce pan and put in on the lowest simmer.  When the meatballs are done in the oven, add them to the tomato mixture to simmer a few minutes.

To make the polenta, bring the chicken broth, milk, cream and butter to a low boil.  Whisk in the polenta and let it simmer for 2 or 3 minutes until it thickens.*  Stir in a little salt to taste.

OK, now you take a dinner plate and layer on the polenta and sauce with meatballs.  Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley.  Pretty and delicious!

*If it thickens too much, add a bit of hot water to thin it out.

 

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Asian Pork Meatballs

 

Hello all– It’s really full on summer here– so around dinner time I’m looking for something fast, light and fun to eat.  I think this qualifies–sort of a banh mi sandwich disguised as a salad.  We ate it with a chunk of french bread (the sandwich!!) and a bottle of Sweet Chili Sauce at hand.  It was fresh and delish!

ASIAN PORK MEATBALLS

meatballs:
1 pound ground pork
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tab. cilantro, chopped fine
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. lime zest (about 1 lime)
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

salad:
finely shredded green cabbage
shredded carrots
thinly sliced radishes
red pepper, cut in thin strips
sprigs cilantro

dressing:
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tab. lime juice
1 tsp. honey
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
And a bottle of sweet chili sauce to splash on those meatballs!

In a mixing bowl thoroughly mix the pork, ginger, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, lime zest and breadcrumbs.  Form the mixture into 16 medium size meatballs and set them on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Pop them in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, until they are nicely browned.

Arrange the salad ingredients on 4 plates.  Shake the dressing ingredients together in a container with a tight fitting lid and drizzle it over the salad ingredients.

Add on the meatballs when they come out of the oven.  Done and delish!

 

 

Orange Chicken Meatballs

Hi all– you know that orange chicken, the American version of Chinese food?  Here’s yet another iteration, that’s a little rounder and more tender–orange tinged little meatballs.

We had them for supper over brown rice, but I was thinking they’d be fun next time I’m taking an appetizer to dinner with friends.  And I’m pretty sure they’d be a hit next time the grand-girls come to eat!

ORANGE CHICKEN MEATBALLS

Meatballs:
1 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tab. onion, minced
1 tab. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Sauce:
3 tab. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. sweet Thai chili sauce
3/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tab. hoisin sauce
2 tab. soy sauce
2 green onions, slice fro garnish

In a mixing bowl thoroughly combine the chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, onion, 1 tab. soy sauce, salt and pepper.  I always think I can do it with a spoon, but hands are the best way to smoosh it up til it’s all blended.

Scoop out clumps of the chicken mixture and roll each spoonful into a small ball.  Set the meatballs onto a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  (Make about 15 meatballs)

Pop the sheet of meatballs into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes until they are cooked through and a little browned around the edges.

While that’s cooking, make the sauce.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and add in the garlic.  Stir for a minute.  Then stir in the ginger, chili sauce, marmalade, hoisin sauce and soy sauce.  Let it simmer on low for a minute or two to thicken a bit.

When the meatballs are all baked– drop them into the sauce the mix them up to coat them well.  Set them out on a serving dish.  Scrape the extra sauce out of the skillet over the meatballs.  And sprinkle the chopped green onion over it all.  Done.  And delicious.

 

Ricotta Meatballs

Hello Spaghetti & Meatball fans–  Made these scrumptious little meatballs when our parents came for lunch on Sunday.  It’s always always fun to cook for my father-in-law Stu.  He so kind. He’ll rave about anything you make.  And so I was pleased when he asked how these little meatballs turned out so tender!  (it’s the ricotta).  So glad you liked them Stu!!

RICOTTA MEATBALLS
1 large yellow onion, minced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tab. olive oil
2 eggs
2 1/2 pounds ground beef (80%)
1 cup parmesano romano
15 oz. carton of ricotta
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tap. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
Marinara sauce
Pasta

Pour the olive oil into a hot skilled and them drop in the onion.  Cook it 4 or 5 minutes until it begins to brown.  Add the garlic and cook a minute more.  Take it off the heat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, beef, parmesan, ricotta, bread crumbs and basil. Add in the cooked onion and garlic.  This isn’t the time to politely mix with a spoon.  You really need to squish it all together with your hands until it’s thoroughly combined.

Then take a rounded tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a cute little meatball and place it on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Continue making meatballs with all the beef mixture– you should have about 80!  (you can freeze part of them after they are cooked).

Bake them in at 350 degree oven for 20 -22 minutes until they are nicely browned.

While that is happening, warm your favorite marinara sauce (homemade or in a jar) and cook up your preferred pasta.

Layer it all on a plate and set it on the table.  Delish!

Ginger Pork Meatballs

Hello there–  It’s meatball time again around here, a grand-girl fave!  I like this quick, easy  dinner,  fills up a big platter to feed all 7 of us (4 bigs and 3 littles).  Just add a greenish bowl of veggies, a salad and some kind of yummy bread and it’s a meal!  Happy eating!

GINGER PORK MEATBALLS

Rice– 2 cups–cook according the the package directions

Meatballs
1 pound ground pork
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
3 cloves garlic, minced*
1 tsp. ground ginger**
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Combine all the meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl– I just like squishing them together with my hands– and then form smallish balls (kind of like roll up play dough)– and set them on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Put them in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on how large you rolled out your meatballs)– until they are cooked through and a bit brownish around the edges.

While they are cooking–make you sauce and the can drop the meatballs into that yummy sauce as they come out of the oven.

Sauce:
2 tab. butter (or olive oil)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tab. soy sauce
1 tab. rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. Thai sweet chili sauce
1 tab. cornstarch
1 tab. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger**
1 cup water (or white wine or apple juice–if you have either on hand)
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped fine

2 green onions for garnish

Melt the butter in a skillet.  Put the other ingredients for the sauce into a container with a tightly sealing lid.  Shake until all the ingredients are well blended and pour into the hot skillet with the butter.  Keep it on medium heat and stir until the sauce thickens (a couple minutes).

When the meatballs are cooked through, add them to the skillet with the sauce and stir to coat them completely.

Apple Cider Glazed Meatballs

Hey there–  It’s been a bit tricky, figuring out just what the grand-girls like to eat for dinner, now that they’re here from Shanghai with us.  Larry and I have been eating grown up food for so long.  I’d forgotten all about “fun food!”

Frozen yogurt, of course is up there, as well as pink cupcakes.  They like things served on noodles and have met up with tacos and like them just fine.   I’ve discovered meat in little balls is the preferred meat form for small girls.  So here is a grand-girl approved recipe–and I’m pretty sure most adults would find this dish yummy as well…

APPLE CIDER GLAZED MEATBALLS

MEATBALLS:
1 pound ground beef (85%)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

GLAZE:
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tab. brown sugar
1 tab. cornstarch
1 tsp. ground ginger
1tsp. butter

3 green onions for garnish

Mix together all the meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl.  You can be tidy and use a spoon, but I think mushing with you hands works best to get it all well combined.  Make 30 smallish meatballs by scooping out a spoonful and rolling it into a ball.

Set them on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

To make the glaze, put the cider, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch and ginger in a container with a tight lid.  Shake it and shake it again until it’s thoroughly combined.  Melt a tsp. of butter in a skillet, then pour in the cider mixture and stir until it thickens.

When the meatballs are browned, drop them into the pan of sauce and simmer just a couple minutes.  Then serve them over a bed of rice, topped with the green onions.

Here’s the grand-girls after a run threw the hose water with Grandpa Larry in the back yard.

Meatball Soup

Hello there–  I love meatballs.  They’re a lot more diverse than you might think.  Pork, sausage, beef or chicken…  Spices of all kinds.  Onions, pepper, herbs…  You can go a lot of directions with these friendly little guys.  For this soup, I just kept it simple.  Instead of my old favorite beef and sausage meatballs, I used turkey (my feeble attempt at eating more heathily).  But I put up the old recipe too, just in case you wanted it to have those flavorful little meatballs rolling around in your soup.

MEATBALL SOUP

Meatballs:
1/2 pound ground beef*
1/2 pound Italian sausage*
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup bread crumbs
dash pepper
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, minced
1/4 cup onion, chopped fined

Dump everything into a mixing bowl and stir it together.  To really blend it well, squish it all together with your hands a few times before you start forming the meatballs.  Make mini meatballs, about 1″ across and set them on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Cook them about 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven until they are browned and cooked through.  It makes about 5 dozen mini meatballs.

*The beef and sausage combination is perfect together, but tonight I used a pound of ground turkey, trying to be a smidge healthier after overeating all weekend with our kids in San Francisco.

Soup:

1 large onion, chopped fine
splash olive oil
2  14 oz. cans petit cut tomatoes**
6 cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tab. brown sugar
1 tab. chili powder
2 tab. cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. mustard
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cups tiny shell macaroni (about 8 oz.)***
1 cup red & green bell pepper, cut up fine
shredded parmesan

While the meatballs are cooking, heat the olive oil in a soup pot and brown the onions in it.  Then add the tomatoes, water, garlic, brown sugar, chili powder, vinegar, salt, oregano, basil, mustard and pepper.  Put in the meatballs and let it simmer gently for about 5 minutes.  Then add the macaroni and chopped peppers and cook 10 minutes more.  Serve it up hot with a sprinkle of parmesan and a chunk of substantial bread.

*I substituted 1 pound of ground turkey for these 2 ingredients.
**I love the S&W petit cut tomatoes with garlic and onions.
*** I used tiny shell macaroni because it was in my cupboard.  You can use you own favorite, of course.

Turkey Meatballs

Hi friends– Larry is doing to the dishes (just one of the reasons I love that guy), so I can sit and write up this yummy Turkey Meatball recipe for you.  These little cuties are tender and savory– really quite delicious.  We had them over pasta tonight with a simple sauce of small cut tomatoes, onion, garlic…  But I was thinking they would make super meatball sandwiches together with some grilled peppers and onions.  Next time.

TURKEY MEATBALLS
1 pound ground turkey
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup bread crumbs
dash pepper
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, finely chopped
1/4 cup onion, minced

Mix all these ingredients well.  Scoop out by small spoonfulls and shape them into cute little meatballs.  Set them out on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake them up at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes (depends on how well done you like them).  Serve them up with your favorite pasta sauce over your favorite pasta and dig in!