simple supper

here's a quick recipe for a very simple meal to whip up for lunch or dinner that's loaded with amazing middle eastern flavors. it's based on the herbs and spices in traditional lamb kofte, which are basically kebabs, and is served with a few easy accompaniments, like store bought hummus and pita, that make for a super quick meal for those busy weekday evenings.

also, we've been busy working on lots of great projects like shooting for martha stewart living & styling for the nest over the past week - can't wait to share these with you! we're excited to watch this starting on wednesday and maybe we'll have to eat one of these during the game.

Lamb Meatballs

makes 20

1 lb ground lamb

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup crumbled feta

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbs paprika

1 tbs ground cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp olive oil

4 persian cucumbers, thinly slices on a mandolin

1/4 cup greek yogurt

juice of 1 lemon plus wedges for garnish

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

salt & pepper

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. in a medium bowl, combine lamb, onion, feta, mint, parsley, garlic, paprika, cumin, cayenne with a big pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. mix well with your hands until everything is incorporated. form into about 20 small meatballs by rolling between the palms of your hands. heat olive oil over medium high heat and sear meatballs on all sides, about 5 minutes. transfer to the oven and cook 10-12 minutes or until done.

while meatballs are in the oven, in a small bowl combine cucumbers with yogurt, lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. serve with meatballs with cucumber salad, sliced red onions, lemon wedges, warm pita & your favorite hummus. enjoy!

spring fever

it was too nice out today and for the past several days to cook much at home. we had a fun afternoon & evening today wandering around the city on foot - enjoying the bright sun, warm breeze and fifty degree weather! had a fantastic lunch here and can't wait to go back very very soon, nice ginger cookie & iced coffee break here and another sweet treat here. we are trying to spend a few moments every tuesday to go out and try something new in the city - we'll keep you posted on what's new & exciting to us as we explore. any suggestions for spots we just shouldn't miss?

frikadellers

i grew up in a house that holds many different food traditions and some of them happen to be danish. frikadellers are danish meatballs and common in most scandinavian countries - if you've ever been to ikea, i'm sure you've seen the swedish meatballs in the frozen foods near the lingonberry jam, creamed herring and that awesome soft serve ice cream! we make frikadellers every christmas eve but i was recently reminded of them in gourmet's may review of this cookbook which sounds great. has anyone gotten it yet? i think everyone probably makes their frikadellers a little differently but this is my favorite way - enjoy them with some boiled red potatoes and chopped dill!

Danish Meatballs

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1 egg, beaten

1 small red onion, diced

1 tbs ground cardamom

4 tbs unsalted butter

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs all-purpose flour

1 cup sour cream

lingonberry jam for garnish

in a large bowl, combine beef, pork, egg, onion and cardamom and season with salt and pepper. form into small balls about the size of walnuts, rolling them between your hands. heat 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs oil in a skillet and fry the meatballs in batches, turning to brown on all sides. transfer the cooked meatballs to a small sheet pan and set aside. continue to fry, adding remaining 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs oil, until all meatballs are cooked. add remaining 2 tbs butter and melt. whisk in flour and cook for a few minutes until golden brown. remove from heat and very carefully add 1 cup water (pan will bubble and splatter). return to the heat and whisk in sour cream and season with salt and pepper. add meatballs and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until sauce thickens and meatballs are cooked completely. serve frikadellers with sauce, lingonberry jam and boiled potatoes. enjoy!

restaurant week- tuesday

so, our tuesday post of our favorite restaurant recipe week, just happens to be un-fittingly called "monday meatballs."  these lovely treats come from one of the most amazing places in the world, A16.  this san francisco staple is a chestnut street treat, serving southern italian food, named from the italian motorway that runs from naples to canosa.  when we were lucky enough to eat here, we were floored by the house-cured salumi and some of their amazing pizzas. although this cookbook has many unreal recipes, we chose the monday meatballs, one of our all time favorites.  we recommend grinding the meat yourself if you can, and eat them fresh out of the oven.  if there is any book to pick up this year, this might be the one.  

Monday Meatballs

(from A16)

10 oz. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes and ground in a meat grinder or food processor

10 oz. beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes and ground in a meat grinder or food processor

6 oz. day-old country bread, torn into chunks and ground in a food processor

2 oz. pork fat, cut into 1 inch cubes and ground in a meat grinder or chilled in a freezer for 15 mins. and chopped in a food processor

2 oz. prosciutto, cut into 1 inch cubes and ground through a meat grinder or chopped in a food processor

1 cup loosely packed fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

1 tbs plus 2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp dried oregano

1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp dried chile flakes

2/3 cup fresh ricotta, drained if necessary

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup whole milk

1 (280z.) can san marzano tomatoes with juices

handful of fresh basil leaves

block of grana for grating

extra virgin olive oil for finishing

preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with olive oil.

in a large bowl, combine the pork, beef, bread, pork fat, prosciutto, parsley, 1 tbs of salt, oregano, fennel seeds, and chile flakes and mix with your hands just until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. set aside.

in a separate bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs, and milk just enough to break up any large curds of ricotta.  add the ricotta mixture to the ground meat mixture and mix lightly with your hands just until incorporated.  the mixture should feel wet and tacky.  pinch off a small nugget of the mixture, flatten into a disk, and cook it in a small saute pan.  taste it, and adjust the seasoning of the mixture of salt if needed. form the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls each weighing about 2oz., and place on the prepared baking sheets.  you should have about 30 meatballs.

bake, rotating the sheets once from front to bake, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned.  remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.  

sprinkle the tomatoes with the remaining 2 tsp salt, and then pass the tomatoes and their juices through a food mill fitted with a medium plate.  alternatively, put the entire can of tomatoes in a large bowl, don an apron, and squeeze the tomatoes into small pieces with your hands.

pack the meatballs into 1 large roasting pan or 2 small roasting pans.  pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs, cover tightly with foil, and braise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the meatballs are tender and have absorbed some of the tomato sauce.

pull the pans out of the oven and uncover.  distribute the basil leaves throughout the sauce.

for each serving, ladle meatballs with some of the sauce into a warmed bowl.  grate grana over the top, drizzle with olive oil to finish, and serve immediately.