Meatballs
By Lee Ann Flemming
Food is very “trendy”. There are food fads, just as there are in fashion. Cupcakes have been around for a very long time. Usually they were reserved as treats for the children. The past few years, they have been showing up everywhere. Weddings have been featuring cupcake trees instead of wedding cakes. Specialty cupcake bakeries are popping up everywhere and have been featured in food magazines and television programs.
My husband and my son don’t consider a meal being a meal if there is no meat. My daughter-in-law told me that when she and Steven started dating that he invited her over one night to prepare dinner for the two of them. She said he grilled steak and boudin for their meal. When she asked about a side of some sort, he told her there was rice in the boudin.
Meatballs are considered a comfort food, just like macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes. The frozen meatballs you find in the grocery are pretty good if you are in a crunch for time. I pour beef broth over them and bake them for an appetizer. Since they are precooked, you can just add them to spaghetti sauce to serve over pasta or use them for a meatball hoagie. When it comes to meatballs, I think homemade is still your best bet.
If you enjoy cooking with children, making meatballs would be an extra special treat. Not only will you spend time with your kids, but they will probably enjoy eating what they have helped to prepare.
For years, Steve has asked me why I never make spaghetti and meatballs. I told him I just always make a meat sauce like my Mama. Several weeks ago, I decided to make meatballs for my sauce instead of my regular meat sauce. Meatballs are a little time consuming to make, but at least it was something a little different. Recently I was in an Italian restaurant and noticed that they serve their customers a plate of spaghetti and sauce with one giant meatball on top – that would have been easier and I’m sure my boys would love it!
Hope you enjoy this week’s recipes. Thanks for reading.
STEVEN’S MEATBALLS
6 slices of bread
2 tsp. salt
2 pkg. dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 eggs
1 ½ cups milk
3 lbs. ground chuck
2 cans Beef Consomme’
Tear bread into bite-size pieces in a large bowl; pour milk over, soaking until all milk is absorbed. Gradually work in meat, soup mix, salt and eggs. Mix well and shape into balls. Roll in flour and brown in oil or shortening in a skillet on top of the stove. Drain and place in a long casserole dish. Pour cans of beef consommé over the meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
*This is one of my most requested recipes. It can easily be double or tripled for parties. Meatballs can be frozen before baking.
PORCUPINE MEATBALLS
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 ½ cups uncooked regular rice
1 tsp. dried onion
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 can beef broth
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ground beef with ½ cup of the rice; mix well with your hands and form into meatballs. In a large casserole dish, add the remaining rice, dried onion, salt, Italian seasoning, tomatoes and beef broth; mix well. Place your meatballs on top of this mixture in the casserole dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour.
*Kids love these. The rice in the meatballs will have puffed up all around the meat and they look like little porcupines. This is fun for children to help with in the kitchen.
FLORENTINE MEATBALLS
1 (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
1 ½ lb. ground chuck
1 medium onion, chopped (save 3 Tbsp. for sauce)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large egg
1 ¾ cup milk
1 cup bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 (10 oz.) pkg. shredded Italian cheese blend
½ tsp. nutmeg
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place ground beef in large bowl; add spinach, onion, garlic, egg, ¼ cup milk, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and mix well. Form into 12 large meatballs and drizzle with olive oil. Place on a nonstick cookie sheet and cook for 20 minutes, or until done throughout. While meatballs are in the oven, heat butter and 2 Tbsp. of olive oil in a saucepan. Add 3 Tbsp. of reserved chopped onion and cook for 2 minutes; add flour. Cook for 2 minutes and whisk in 1 ½ cups milk and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and stir in Italian cheese. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg – keep on low heat. Place meat balls on serving platter and top with sauce.
*The addition of spinach and the cheese sauce make this meatball dish just a little bit different than the tomato sauces we are accustomed to.
MINI MEATBALL SANDWICHES
1/2 cup finely crushed corn flakes
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
2 eggs
1 Tbsp.. olive oil
2 Tbsp. ketchup, will need additional for serving
4 Tbsp. grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 lb. ground chuck
12 King’s Hawaiian dinner rolls or hamburger buns for sliders
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together cereal, parsley, egg, oil, ketchup, cheese, salt and pepper; add ground meat. Roll mixture into 12 meatballs (wet hands will help keep mixture from sticking to fingers). Place on a baking sheet that has been lined with Parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked; drain well and cool for 10 minutes. Make an indention in the center of each bottom half of the bread. Place meatball in indention and cover with a squirt of ketchup. Top with other half of bun and serve.
