If you don't like to get your hands dirty, this recipe is not for you. The binders in this recipe are bread crumbs, milk, and egg. If you are gluten-free or vegan, this recipe really isn't for you either. I don't have and am not willing to create a vegan "meat" ball recipe. Get your inner carnivore on because we're going to play with meat in this recipe.
I have seen all sorts of meat ratios for this recipe. Sure, you could probably combine equal amounts of ground pork and ground beef, heck toss in some lamb or veal as well; but by then the cost of the meat will exceed your entire spaghetti recipe and that's not good for anyone's food budget.
Note to future self: use lean ground beef. I used 80% meat/20% fat ground beef for this attempt, and well, the meatballs exuded a lot of oil when cooking.
Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef (93% lean should work)
1/2 c milk
1/2 c fine breadcrumbs
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 c fresh Italian parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
1 large egg
1 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, minced
freshly ground black pepper
Easiest way is to add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix by hand. Stirring it together with a fork will only get you so far.
Use a tablespoon to scoop out some of the meat and form it into a ball with your hands. Set it on a plate and repeat until the plate is full.
Directions - in sauce
If you have just made a pot of spaghetti sauce, transfer some of the sauce sans meat to a skillet and add the meatballs in a single layer. Cook for about 20 minutes then transfer everything back to the pot that has the spaghetti sauce and simmer for an additional 10 minutes or so.
Directions - oven baked
Preheat oven to 400F.
On a lipped baking tray, arrange meat balls in a single layer and bake for 25-30 minutes. Check on the meatballs to make sure they don't burn. If they burn, none of them will come off the tray without a spatula scraping them off.
Chuck all the cooked meat balls into the spaghetti sauce. Or set onto paper towels to drain the oil. Can also store these into a quart-size bag and freeze for later.
Yes, I really did two batches of meatballs, one cooked in a sauce and baked the other, then tossed both batches into the already-completed spaghetti sauce.
Coffee Liqueur
The difference between a liquor (e.g., vodka) and a liqueur, is that the latter is back-sweetened with fruit or sugar to bring the sugar content up to a minimum of 2.5% and the former is just a distilled beverage. That's the idea anyways. You should probably use a coffee bean of a coffee you really enjoy. This batch uses Stumptown's house blend whole bean coffee. It's recommended for extracts that 100% proof vodka be used, but I am using Kirkland vodka (80% proof) because that's all I have on hand. You can get 1-liter flip-top bottles from Bed Bath & Beyond or similar stores.
Day 1
Ingredients
2 c vodka
1/2 c ground coffee
1-2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean split in half
Grind enough coffee beans for 1/2 c ground coffee. In a large jar, combine coffee, 2 c vodka, and 1-2 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 whole vanilla bean sliced in half). Secure lid on jar and refrigerate for 24 hours, shaking the jar occasionally.
Day 2
Ingredients
2 c brown sugar
4 c filtered water
Make the brown sugar syrup.
In a 2-quart pot, combine 2 c brown sugar and 4 c water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the volume has reduced by half.
As the syrup cools, it'll thicken.
.
Use a coffee filter to strain the infused vodka from the ground coffee. Compost the leftover coffee. Set aside. I used two filters for this step. A gold filter and a paper coffee filter set inside the gold filter.
Into a clean, sterilized bottle, fill with cooled brown sugar syrup and coffee-infused vodka.
Shake to combine.
Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Day 1
Ingredients
2 c vodka
1/2 c ground coffee
1-2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean split in half
Day 2
Ingredients
2 c brown sugar
4 c filtered water
Make the brown sugar syrup.
In a 2-quart pot, combine 2 c brown sugar and 4 c water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the volume has reduced by half.
As the syrup cools, it'll thicken.
.
Use a coffee filter to strain the infused vodka from the ground coffee. Compost the leftover coffee. Set aside. I used two filters for this step. A gold filter and a paper coffee filter set inside the gold filter.
Into a clean, sterilized bottle, fill with cooled brown sugar syrup and coffee-infused vodka.
Shake to combine.
Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Lemongrass Tea
The last time I saw someone get a gift of Adagio lemongrass tea, I thought that $12/8oz + shipping is a lot to pay for something you can make yourself. Lemongrass tea is just the chopped up, dried form of the plant. It takes about a week (during autumn/winter) to dry at room temperature on trays. The fresh stalks are typically sold fresh in Asian grocery stores or supermarkets that also carry Asian cuisine ingredients. A bundle of 3-4 lemongrass stalks will cost about $1.60-$3.00, depending in where you shop.
The seafood market (ABC Seafood) in Portland is where I last picked up this culinary herb. It is typically used to make the lemony part of Tom Yun soup (a hot & sour soup originating from Thailand/Laos).
After processing the lemongrass stalks, it would be better to make the tea while the stalks are fresh rather than when they are dried if you want a more lemony taste to the tea. A hot cup of tea made from the dried, cut stalks tastes a lot like water that has been mixed with a light lemon essence. But, if a non-citrus lemony tea is what you want to relax with, lemongrass tea is also non-caffeinated.
After trimming the stalks of the rough, woody root part and the tops, peel off any of its 'leaves' that have dark spots on them. Use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to cut the stalks into 1/2" to 3/4" pieces. Use a sharp knife to quarter (vertically) each piece. This will help the lemongrass dry faster.
Don't try to chop these later in a food processor after they have dried. It does not work.
The seafood market (ABC Seafood) in Portland is where I last picked up this culinary herb. It is typically used to make the lemony part of Tom Yun soup (a hot & sour soup originating from Thailand/Laos).
After processing the lemongrass stalks, it would be better to make the tea while the stalks are fresh rather than when they are dried if you want a more lemony taste to the tea. A hot cup of tea made from the dried, cut stalks tastes a lot like water that has been mixed with a light lemon essence. But, if a non-citrus lemony tea is what you want to relax with, lemongrass tea is also non-caffeinated.
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| TheFoodening Blog: lemongrass stalks, all chopped up and ready to be dried for tea |
After trimming the stalks of the rough, woody root part and the tops, peel off any of its 'leaves' that have dark spots on them. Use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to cut the stalks into 1/2" to 3/4" pieces. Use a sharp knife to quarter (vertically) each piece. This will help the lemongrass dry faster.
Don't try to chop these later in a food processor after they have dried. It does not work.
Hot and Sour Soup
My mom would make this soup for special occasions, although it's a good soup for cold, damp weather. The heat in the soup comes from black pepper and its sourness from vinegar; though not any vinegar will do. Apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar are cetain sweeter in taste than say, red wine vinegar. And, don't put balsamic vinegar into this soup.
A note from my dad about the wood ear fungus. It may look small, and the original recipe called for 1/4 of it but that is a mistake. He says that the fungus will soak up enough water to turn into 10x its dehydrated size.
Makes: 2 quarts + 1 pint
Ingredients
3 oz pork loin, pork shoulder, or country pork rib
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/4 c dried lily buds, soaked in warm water, trimmed
1/4 c dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water, thinly sliced
4 pc dried wood ear (mu-erh) fungus, soaked in warm water, thinly sliced
1/2 c winter bamboo shoots, thinly sliced
1/2 pkg organic firm tofu, small diced
2 quarts organic chicken broth, low sodium
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
3 tbsp white vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 tsp tamari soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
sea salt, to taste
1 organic carrot, sliced into matchsticks
Directions
Slice pork into thin 1/2" strips then fry with scallion and olive oil. When pork has lost its pink color, remove from heat and set aside.
After soaking the lily buds, trim off the hard parts of the stem.
In a large stockpot (or a pot large enough to hold 3 quarts of liquid), combine chicken broth, lily buds, wood ear fungus, mushrooms, tofu, white pepper, soy sauce, and vinegar. Add the soaking liquid of the dried ingredients to the soup.
Bring the soup to a simmer and let all the ingredients come up to temperature. At this point, you can add the cornstarck/water slurry and bring the soup to a boil to thicken the soup.
Next, and add the eggs for an egg-drop-soup look.
Serve hot.
You may need to add more black pepper (for heat) or vinegar (for sourness).
To thicken the soup:
Combine equal portions cornstarch and cold water. Stir until cornstarch is dissolved in the water. Use 1 tbsp cornstarch plus 1 tbsp water per quart of liquid.
To turn this into an egg drop soup:
Whisk 2 eggs in a small bowl
Before serving the soup and while the soup is boiling, stir soup in a clockwise (or counterclockwise) direction so the liquid is rotating in one direction. Usually, it's 1 egg per person for a regular egg drop soup.
As the soup is rotating, slowly pour in the beaten eggs.
A note from my dad about the wood ear fungus. It may look small, and the original recipe called for 1/4 of it but that is a mistake. He says that the fungus will soak up enough water to turn into 10x its dehydrated size.
Makes: 2 quarts + 1 pint
Ingredients
3 oz pork loin, pork shoulder, or country pork rib
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/4 c dried lily buds, soaked in warm water, trimmed
1/4 c dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water, thinly sliced
4 pc dried wood ear (mu-erh) fungus, soaked in warm water, thinly sliced
1/2 c winter bamboo shoots, thinly sliced
1/2 pkg organic firm tofu, small diced
2 quarts organic chicken broth, low sodium
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
3 tbsp white vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 tsp tamari soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
sea salt, to taste
1 organic carrot, sliced into matchsticks
Directions
Slice pork into thin 1/2" strips then fry with scallion and olive oil. When pork has lost its pink color, remove from heat and set aside.
After soaking the lily buds, trim off the hard parts of the stem.
In a large stockpot (or a pot large enough to hold 3 quarts of liquid), combine chicken broth, lily buds, wood ear fungus, mushrooms, tofu, white pepper, soy sauce, and vinegar. Add the soaking liquid of the dried ingredients to the soup.
Bring the soup to a simmer and let all the ingredients come up to temperature. At this point, you can add the cornstarck/water slurry and bring the soup to a boil to thicken the soup.
Next, and add the eggs for an egg-drop-soup look.
Serve hot.
You may need to add more black pepper (for heat) or vinegar (for sourness).
To thicken the soup:
Combine equal portions cornstarch and cold water. Stir until cornstarch is dissolved in the water. Use 1 tbsp cornstarch plus 1 tbsp water per quart of liquid.
To turn this into an egg drop soup:
Whisk 2 eggs in a small bowl
Before serving the soup and while the soup is boiling, stir soup in a clockwise (or counterclockwise) direction so the liquid is rotating in one direction. Usually, it's 1 egg per person for a regular egg drop soup.
As the soup is rotating, slowly pour in the beaten eggs.
Boiled Shrimp
This recipe is pretty easy to do. It's quick and simple. You just need raw shrimp that is either fresh from the seafood counter or thawed completely. I can usually pick up a pound of headless shrimp from Fubonn in Portland. Sometimes shrimp is on sale for $5-$7/lb. I try to stay in that range. What? No instructions on prepping the shrimp? Why bother. Just unshell and rip off its legs after it's been cooked.
Ingredients
2-3 tbsp fresh ginger, sliced
1-2 lb raw shrimp
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
4 c filtered water
pinch of sea salt
Directions
Bring water, wine, and ginger to a boil. Process in batches of 10. When the shrimp changes color to light pink, remove from heat and add more raw shrimp. If you need to, remove all the cooked shrimp from the pot and wait for the water to come back up to a boil.
Serve warm.
Ingredients
2-3 tbsp fresh ginger, sliced
1-2 lb raw shrimp
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
4 c filtered water
pinch of sea salt
Directions
Bring water, wine, and ginger to a boil. Process in batches of 10. When the shrimp changes color to light pink, remove from heat and add more raw shrimp. If you need to, remove all the cooked shrimp from the pot and wait for the water to come back up to a boil.
Serve warm.
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