Meatball Subs

Meatball subs, meatball heroes, meatball hoagies, meatball parmesan. Whatever you call them, these meaty, cheesy, saucy, crispy, hot sandwiches are always delicious. Despite that, I rarely make them because I tend to think of meatball subs as being too messy or too complicated. The first can't really be helped, but the second can't be further from the truth, even if you make the meatballs from scratch. In this recipe the meatballs are dusted with breadcrumbs and then baked to keep them firm for the sandwiches. For pasta, you could bake them or cook them directly in the sauce (I prefer the latter), but either way, don't coat them in breadcrumbs.


Meatball Subs
Servings: about 4 large
Time: 45 mins

- 1.25 lbs meatball mix* (ground beef and pork)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- tomato sauce
- fresh mozzarella
- crusty bread

* You may not believe me, but a mix of ground meats is essential for flavor and texture. Some mixes come with a little ground veal or lamb in addition to pork and beef.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Pour a small amount of breadcrumbs into a small bowl for later.

In a large bowl, combine the meat, seasonings, breadcrumbs, and egg. Mix these well with your hands. Take a small amount in your hands (enough to form a ball somewhere between a golf ball and baseball - about 2-2.5") and gently roll. Try to avoid leaving cracks that may split during baking, but don't overwork the meat or it will not be tender after cooking. Roll each meatball in a small amount of breadcrumbs (a dusting). Place each meatball on the prepared sheet and place the tray in the oven for about 25 minutes. Check on the meatballs after about 15 minutes and adjust the cooking time if necessary (different amounts of fat cook differently).

In the meantime, cut the bread lengthwise, leaving the two halves attached as a cradle for the meatballs. Place a little cheese and sauce at the bottom and then slice or pull apart the rest of the cheese for the topping.

When the meatballs are done, you may want to cut a few in half for the sandwiches. They will be easier to eat than whole meatballs. Stuff a few halves in between the bread, then top with cheese and more sauce. Pop the sandwiches back into the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melty.

green bean, potato, and tomato salad

Great summer side dish made with seasonal veggies. Olive oil and lemon juice create a light dressing that feels fresher than heavy mayo- or mustard-based potato salads.

green bean, potato, and tomato salad
Serves: 6 large side portions
Time: 30 minutes

- 3 medium potatoes
- about 1 pound green beans
- 1 large ripe tomato or 2 medium
- 1 large lemon
- salt (kosher if you have it)
- pepper
- olive oil

Peel potatoes and slice into larger chunks, about 1-2". Place chunks in a large pot, cover with water (about an inch above potatoes), bring to a boil, and cook for about ten minutes. We're not making mashed potatoes; most people like potatoes in potato salad to be tender but firm. However, I actually prefer this salad when the potatoes get a little soft and break apart. Helps coat the green beans later, but doesn't look as pretty. Don't worry too much about overcooking, but keep on eye on the potatoes, testing them for firmness with a fork. Once done, drain potatoes into a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold water to stop the cooking.

While the potatoes are cooking, trim the beans. Once the potatoes are done and cooling, fill the large pot with enough water to cover the beans (again, 1-2" above veggies). Bring the water to boil BEFORE adding the beans. Once boiling, toss beans into the water and cook for about 2 MINUTES. You want them tender-crisp. Drain beans into colander, and again rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. By the way, purple beans will turn green as they cook.

Add potatoes and beans to a large bowl. Chop the tomato into large chunks and add to the other veggies. Drizzle the whole thing with olive oil. More than a teaspoon, but probably not more than a tablespoon. This well depend on your taste though, and how dry the potatoes are. Cut the lemon in half, pick out the seeds with a knife-tip and squeeze one half all over the salad. You should get about a tablespoon of juice. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon if regular salt) over the salad, and shake a few dashes of pepper over the top (again, to taste). Gently toss the entire mix together until the veggies are coated. This can be served room temperature or cold, and chilling it should intensify the lemon flavor.

Potato and Chorizo Fritatta

I'm usually not a fan of breakfast foods for dinner, but for some reason frittatas seem like an all-the-time food, even though the base ingredient is egg. This one is based loosely on the flavors you would find in a Spanish omelet, although my real goal was to use up two potatoes we had sitting around. I managed to find chorizo (Spanish spicy sausage) at our local Price Chopper (*shudder*), so I don't think it will be too hard to find. If it's not with the sausage, try looking by the hot dogs. Yup.


Potato and Chorizo Frittata
Servings: 6
Time: 50 mins - 1 hour

- 1 large or 2 small baking potatoes
- 1 large bell pepper
- 1 small to medium onion
- 2 chorizo links (remove casing)
- crusty/stale bread
- 10 eggs
- milk (optional)
- 1/8 to 1/4 cup feta cheese
- salt and pepper to taste (optional)
- (maybe) olive oil
- cooking spray (optional, but helps)

Cook the chorizo in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat, making sure to crumble the sausage into small pieces. While the chorizo cooks, dice the potato into small cubes. When the chorizo is finished cooking (should brown and crisp a bit), remove the sausage bits with a slotted spoon, leaving the delicious grease behind.

Cook the potatoes over medium heat in the same pan that was used for the chorizo. Make sure to stir them around in the chorizo drippings. If the potatoes are still too dry, add a little olive oil. The potatoes will take a while (15-20 mins) to soften. In the meantime, chop the onion, and then add it to the potato. Again, if it looks too dry, add a little olive oil and stir. Make sure to keep moving those veggies around every few minutes. Chop the bell pepper and add that to the potato-onion mixture.

Continue cooking until the potato and pepper are soft, but not mushy. They will continue cooking in the oven.

When the veggies are done, stir in the chorizo and mix well. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spray the bottom and sides of the frittata dish (ovenproof glass is best)with a little cooking spray, and then cut up the bread into irregular pieces and use it to line the bottom of the dish.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs along with about 1/4 cup of milk. The milk is not essential, but makes the egg fluffier. You may also add some salt and pepper, though note that most chorizo is salty and spicy already. We didn't need any extra seasoning. Also, it may be easier to beat the eggs in batches of five.

Pour the potato-chorizo mixture over the bread layer. Sprinkle feta cheese over the entire thing.

Pour the egg slowly over the top, making sure to fill in the sides, middle, etc. The egg should fill the cracks between the veggies and then just slightly rise over the top of everything in a thin, even layer. You can add a beaten egg or two if you're short.

Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. I cheated and broiled the top for a few minutes at the end because we're stuck with an electric stove until September!

Fig, Goat Cheese, and Prosciutto Pizza

What I've accomplished since the last blog: defending and submitting my dissertation, putting a house on the market, and making 15 pounds of Easter lamb. Also, three homemade pizzas. The last one was a fig and goat cheese pie that I think is technically a dessert pizza, but we made into dinner by adding some prosciutto and caramelized onion to balance the sweetness. Yum!

Fig, Goat Cheese, and Prosciutto Pizza
Serves: 2 hungry people
Time: 30 minutes

- half of a small onion
- 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
- crust (either dough for, or pre-made 12-13" crust)
- 6 oz goat cheese (the soft kind; not feta, which is salty)
- 3 ripe figs or a handful of dried figs (if dried, soak in water for a few hours or overnight. This will soften them up and prevent burning)
- 2 slices of prosciutto
- fig jam (optional)

Take all of the necessary ingredients out of the fridge so that they can come to room temperature (very important for the cheese). Thinly slice the onion. Coat the sliced onion in oil and cook over medium heat. Keep an eye on the onions, stirring occasionally, until just starting to brown (caramelize). Don't let them burn! Remove from heat when done and set aside.

While the onions are cooking, thinly slice the figs and set aside. Pull the prosciutto into thin strips and also set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If you're going to be using a pizza stone, make sure that's placed into the oven before you pre-heat.

Roll out dough, or go find your pre-made buddy. If you're transferring to a pizza stone, make sure to put lots of cornmeal under fresh dough to prevent sticking. This recipe will also work great on a baking sheet or pizza pan. Prepare to get messy. Try to slice the cheese into thin rounds (inevitably this won't work, just pretend it's like playdough). Pat gently into thinner discs and clumps and place directly onto dough. You don't need to cover every spot, but be careful when distributing because this sort of cheese doesn't melt much.

Next, place the slices of fig. If you decided to add some fig jam, drizzle or drop small amounts all over the pizza and especially anywhere there is still naked dough. After that, top with prosciutto, and finally the onions. If you're transferring fresh dough to a pizza stone remember to loosen it from the paddle and put extra cornmeal around the edges, especially in front.Bake in oven for about 7 minutes. The cheese will bubble, but it won't melt like traditional pizzas, so a crispy, golden crust is your goal.

before the oven

after the oven

Bonus: Pizza dough
(makes three, 12-13" thin crust)
I follow a recipe from a book, so I can't exactly give this step by step, but the dough is amazing, with a hint of fresh olive oil in the flavor.
- 1 quarter-oz package dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1-1/2 cups warm water
- 3-1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal or semolina (better)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 table spoons olive oil

Combine 1/2 cup warm water, yeast, and sugar and let sit five minutes. Combine yeast mixture with everything else until sticky mass of dough forms. Knead until smooth, adding more flour if too sticky, more water if too dry. An electric mixer really makes this step better! Once kneaded, place in bowl coated with cooking spray, cover with kitchen towel and let rise, about 1-2 hours. Punch down and divide into 3 portions. These can be frozen for future use!

Chicken, Feta, and Tahini Pitas

Ever wonder how the pocket ends up in the pita? The bread is only slighly leavened, and as the dough puffs up during cooking, steam becomes trapped inside. During cooling, the pita deflates and the cavernous pocket collapses and is left behind. This particular recipe sticks to the original eastern meditteranean roots of pita dishes, but of course, the possibilities of what can go into the pockets are endless. If you are looking for a lighter or vegetarian option, just leave out the chicken or substitute chic peas (garbanzos) lightly mashed with cumin, paprika, and coriander.



Chicken, Feta, and Tahini Pitas
Time: 30 minutes
servings: 8 pocket halves

1 lb chicken breast
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
crushed red pepper to taste
2 tsp (separate into two batches) coriander
1 tsp and 1 tbsp (separate) cumin
3-4 medium-sized, ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
4 pitas (for 8 pockets halves)
tahini sauce
crumbled feta cheese

Mix together the paprika, oregano, salt, and crushed pepper with 1 tsp coriander and 1 tbsp cumin. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken. Cook the chicken in a skillet or on the grill until no longer pink in the middle (about 5-8 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the chicken).

While the chicken is cooking, chop the tomatoes and cilantro and combine those ingredients with the olive oil, lemon juice, 1 tsp coriander, and 1 tsp cumin.

Slice the chicken and cut the pitas in half. Drizzle (or drown, depending on your taste) the inside of the pocket with tahini. Stuff each pocket with slices of chicken, tomato mixture, and feta to taste. Drizzle the stuffing with more tahini.

Smothered Goose

Last year around New Years we discovered that Central Market carries goose for the holidays. Because I've read too many 'classics' and cry along to 'period' films based loosely on Jane Austen books, I decided that we had to have a goose-feast on New Years day and that it had to become a tradition for us. Eating a huge holiday meal on New Years was always a tradition in my family and so goose was not a stretch. It was just weird.

But our friends trust us when it comes to food (I don't know why, considering that we've now fed you rabbit, homemade dried sausage, and other delicacies), so we threw a nice formal dinner party, including homemade spaetzle and lentil soup. The lentil soup is another family tradition, because like the black eyed peas in the south, for Italians, eating lentils on New Years is supposed to bring luck for the coming year. Particularly financial luck, but I think that has more to do with the resemblance between lentils and coins.

With a little help and trust from our friends, the goose turned out to be wonderful. I mean really wonderful. It tasted like butter. It was legendary. Only I forgot to get pictures last year. I did however snap a few shots of what became of the leftovers, also delicious.

Salad with avocado and goose (because the goose was not rich enough on its own...)


Goose, brie, and arugula paninis on rosemary sourdough. Yes, it was as good as it sounds:


This year, of course, we had to get another goose and repeat the fantasticness and keep up the tradition. Only I messed up. I called Central Market (North) a few days before New Years while we were still in NY. Me: "Do you have (any goose? geese?) goose available for the holidays? Butcher man: "oh yes, we have a ton of goose!" Me: "(oh crap I guess I don't need to reserve one, this man will think I am silly) ok thanks!" Oops. When we went two days later...no more goose. But Rob was all over this 'goose chase' (yes, intended) and immediately called CM South, which thank goodness, had plenty of birds. This time we reserved one and made the trek south.

I thought Schlitz only made beer!


I present to you, the goose, stuffed with fruit stuffing and covered in wild game seasoning, pre-roast:


post-roast:



What we did with the leftovers this year, goose ragout with homemade potato gnocchi.

gnocchi ready to go:


goose ragout!