Category Archives: Pork

Everyday Meatballs

September 23, 2020

Meet my favorite meatballs. They’re cooked right in a pot of crushed tomato sauce and finished with a layer of bubbling cheese on top. I’ve only made them with beef but they’re adaptable to other ground meats like pork or turkey. Make sure to boil a pot of pasta and/or bake some garlic bread alongside to soak up all that marinara. Or on these french bread rolls they’d make perfect sliders!

Everyday Meatballs

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. ground meat (I used beef, you could also use pork or turkey or a mixture)
2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs or 1/2 cup panko 
1/3 cup milk
2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
2 Tbsp. finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese 
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
Pinches of red pepper flakes or a few grinds of black pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 large eggs
2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 28-oz. can of tomato puree or crushed tomatoes

optional for serving:
cheese (I’ve used smoked provolone + Parmesan, another time mozzarella + Romano)
pasta
crusty bread or rolls
fresh chopped basil or parsley

DIRECTIONS

  1. Place meat, crumbs, milk, parsley, cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, onion powder, eggs and half of your minced garlic in a large bowl. I like to mix all of this together with a fork, which does a good job of breaking up the eggs and chunks of meat. Form mixture into 1 1/2 to 2-inch meatballs and arrange on a plate. I like to let them set in the fridge for a bit — 30 minutes, if you can spare it — which helps them keep their shape.
  2. In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add remaining garlic and some pepper flakes and let sizzle until garlic is golden, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add tomatoes (beware the splatter!) and season with remaining salt. Let mixture simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes (with a thicker puree) or 20 (for crushed tomatoes, which are usually more watery), stirring occasionally.
  3. With stove on the lowest heat possible to maintain a gentle simmer, add meatballs to sauce one by one, and cover with a lid. It will be hard but please don’t touch or move them for at least 20 minutes of the 25-minute cooking time, so that they have a chance to keep their shape. Meatballs should be fully cooked through at 25 minutes, but it cannot hurt to cut one in half to verify.
  4. Eat however makes you happy:
    — as-is.
    — with pasta.
    — “parmesan”-ed: Make sure meatballs are in an oven-safe baking dish. Tear about 8 ounces mozzarella (or provolone) over the top and broil until melted. Finish with some parmesan (or Romano), if desired. Sprinkle with fresh chopped basil or parsley.
    — with garlic bread/rolls, etc.

Serves ~4. 

(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

 

Baked Ham and Cheese Croissants

August 27, 2020

Today’s recipe was inspired by all the croissants we devoured on our trip to Paris two summers ago. Dustin was addicted to the chocolate croissants, the almond were my favorite, and for a slightly healthier breakfast or lunch we’d pick up a hot ham and cheese croissant sandwich. While I’m not about to make my own croissant dough or almond paste, the ham and cheese version is simple to make at home!

This time around (because there have been many times- though we save these for special occasions!) I bought mini croissants at Whole Foods. I like to make a spread of mayonnaise and stoneground mustard (with a few fresh snipped chives if I have them) to spread on one half of the croissant and then layer the ham and cheese before baking them until melty in the middle and crisp on top. That’s it! A little bite of France in your own kitchen.

Baked Ham and Cheese Croissants

INGREDIENTS

croissants, sliced in half
deli ham, thinly sliced (black forest ham is our favorite)
Muenster cheese, thinly sliced (or Havarti, Cheddar, Swiss, etc.)
mayonnaise
stoneground mustard, to taste
fresh chives, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. In a small bowl, stir to combine mayonnaise, a squeeze of stoneground mustard, and a few chopped fresh chives. Spread a bit of the mayonnaise mixture on the bottom side of each croissant. Top with a slice of cheese, some deli ham, and another slice of cheese, and the top of the croissant. Place prepared croissants on a baking sheet.
  3. Cover the croissants with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and they are warmed throughout, removing the foil for the last few minutes to crisp the tops. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Prosciutto Wrapped Grilled Asparagus

July 20, 2020

A couple summers ago Dustin and I visited Italy. It was our second time in the country and our visit included Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Pisa and some smaller towns in Tuscany. We love LOVE Italy! We especially love the food. During our visit to Florence we tried traditional Florentine steak and it came with a bundle of prosciutto wrapped asparagus. The steak was good but it was the asparagus that really impressed us! Ever since, we’ve been making it at home. And it’s so simple yet so delicious.

Florentine steak and potatoes and prosciutto wrapped asparagus, in Florence!

I don’t have too many tips for this recipe. I prefer to buy thin asparagus spears and wrap a couple together. When I made this last week I had groceries delivered and they gave me nice thick spears so I wrapped them individually. Use high quality olive oil and prosciutto for the best flavor (a little of both goes a long way). These are great on any outdoor grill (including our Traeger smoker). I haven’t tried roasting them but you might be able to achieve a similar result in the oven. These have become our staple appetizer for entertaining or anytime spring/summer side.

Prosciutto Wrapped Grilled Asparagus

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch asparagus
thinly sliced prosciutto
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. (We’ve also cooked them on our Traeger at 400 F.)
  2. Trim the thick ends (about 1-inch from the bottom) off of the asparagus. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. (Prosciutto is salty so you don’t have to add a ton of salt.) Toss to coat. Wrap each asparagus spear in a thin slice of prosciutto. If the spears are very thin you can wrap 2-3 together.
  3. Grill until the asparagus and prosciutto are tender-crisp, turning halfway through. Eat immediately as these are best hot off the grill!

Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad

June 15, 2020

I’ve shared a Cobb salad before – with a spiced chicken rub and honey mustard ranch dressing- and I still LOVE that one. Today’s Cobb Salad is a classic, simpler version. The buttermilk marinade is the secret to super juicy grilled chicken. You can add extra spices to the marinade but it’s great with just the garlic and a pinch of cayenne. I’m not big on blue cheese so I use goat cheese crumbles instead. Avocado is a must. And grilled corn off the cob is a great addition… you’re already heating up the grill so why not throw some fresh corn on with the chicken?! My husband usually complains if I serve a salad as a main dish, but not this one! It’s so protein-packed, it’ll satisfy anyone.

Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad

INGREDIENTS

Grilled Chicken:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I slice them in half for easy grilling)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. kosher salt 
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Salad:
3 medium hearts romaine lettuce, chopped (sometimes I use a combo of romaine and spring mix)
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped 
1 cup cherry or regular tomatoes, halved
2 avocados, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (or blue cheese, feta, cheddar etc.)

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar 
1/4 cup neutral-flavored oil like grape-seed or canola 
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I use half mayonnaise and half plain Greek yogurt)
1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Place the chicken in a shallow dish or gallon-size resealable bag. Whisk together the buttermilk, salt, pepper, cayenne (if using), and garlic. Pour the mixture over the chicken, coat well. Cover the dish or seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
  2. Preheat a grill to medium or medium-high and grill the chicken (discard remaining marinade) for 3-4 minutes per side, until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees.
  3. Remove the chicken from the grill and tent with foil for 5-10 minutes before serving.
  4. In a large bowl add the chopped lettuce. Top with bacon, chopped hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocados and cheese.
  5. For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until combined (or whisk together in a small bowl).
  6. Drizzle the salad with about 2/3 of the dressing and toss lightly. Add more dressing to taste, if desired.
  7. Serve the grilled chicken topped with the salad (or serve it alongside). You can also chop up the chicken and toss with the other salad ingredients.

Salad adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, Marinade adapted from Fine Cooking

Ham and Cheese Oven-Puffed Pancake

May 13, 2020

I’ve been wanting to make a savory dutch baby/puff- pancake (or whatever you want to call it!) for a while now and settled on this recipe. And lucked out because the first attempt was amazing! It turned out perfectly cooked, puffy, tender, and so flavorful. I only made one (alongside a blueberry version which I’ll share soon) and we were fighting over it! I stuck with a simple ham and cheese combo but you can try adding veggies- sautéed mushrooms and/or spinach and bell pepper would be great options. Bacon could replace the ham. Feel free to switch up the cheese- just use something strong so the flavor isn’t lost.

Ham and Cheese Oven-Puffed Pancake

INGREDIENTS

3 large eggs
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
heaping 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2/3 cup grated Sharp cheddar cheese (or Gruyere)
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 oz. thinly sliced ham or Canadian bacon, finely diced

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the flour. Gradually add the milk, whisking until the batter is smooth. Stir in the cheese and chives.
  3. Melt the butter in a 10/12-inch cast iron or nonstick ovenproof pan over medium heat (or in the preheating oven). Remove from the heat (or from the oven- careful it will be hot!) and swirl the butter around. Sprinkle the ham evenly around the pan. Pour the batter over the ham, then use a fork to be sure the ham is evenly distributed. Carefully transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes (I used a 12 inch cast iron pan and mine only took 15 minutes). It will appear puffed straight out of the oven, but will quickly collapse. Cut the pancake into thin wedges and serve. (Remember that the pan is hot; I usually place a dishtowel or oven mitt over the handle as a reminder.)
  4. The pancake is best served fresh out of the oven. However, leftover slices can be reheated in the microwave.

Makes 1 large puff pancake, 10-12 inches round.

Adapted from Once Upon a Chef