Pasta Alfredo with Meatballs

If you follow me regularly you know that my little website had a wee bit of a melt down.  Thanks for putting up with me.  :D  It was very upsetting to wake up one morning and find out that your content has been “deleted” when you didn’t delete it.  Turned out my domain had expired, so you all were being forwarded to an old site of mine that I had deleted.  But all is well now in Nosheryville and we can continue on with our regularly scheduled cooking program.

This dish came together because it is the end of the week and I am running low on groceries.  I had a pound of ground beef I had defrosted and the only thing I could think of at the time was to make some meatballs but I didn’t feel like your typical red spagetti sauce.  Not too long ago Smitten Kitchen posted baked rigatoni with tiny meatballs and it gave me the idea to do meatballs in alfredo.  I know that beef is traditionally suppose to go with red sauce but I didn’t feel like it yesterday and it is my kitchen and I can do what I want to….or is it my party and I can do what I want to?  Either day I can do what I want.

Add the beef, milk, panko, garlic, Italian seasoning, grated cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Combine all the ingredients with a fork until they are evenly mixed.

Pinch off a small lump of meat, and roll the lump into a ball in the palm of your hands. (I used a cooking scoop and then divided the scooped mixture in half.)

Dust a cookie sheet with flour and place rolled meatballs on baking sheet (yes I know I forgot to dust the baking sheet, work with me people.)   Using a strainer or sifter dust the meatballs with flour.

Shake the pan back and forth, rolling the meatballs with the flour.

Place the meatballs a few at a time, in a strainer and shake to remove excess flour.

Put enough vegetable oil in a skillet to rise 1/4-inch up the sides of the pan and turn on the heat to medium high. When the oil is hot, put as many meatballs in the skillet as will fit without overcrowding. Brown them until they form a nice crust all around.

When one batch is done, transfer it with a slotted spoon to a platter covered with paper towels or a cooling grid to drain and do the next batch until all are done.  Place in oven a lowest possible temperature to keep warm.

At this point bring a large pot of water to boil to cook your pasta. While the pasta cooks, in large saucepan at medium heat combine cream cheese, Parmesan, butter and heavy cream, garlic; stirring constantly until smooth.

Once the sauce is smooth lower the heat and continue to stir until pasta is ready.  If you think the sauce it too thick you can add more milk until it reaches your desired consistency.

Add pasta and as many meatballs as you want to the pan.  I had extra meatballs so I froze them for another occasion.

Toss until pasta and meatballs are well coated, serve immediately.

Yes, it can be a pain sometimes to make and form meatballs, but you would be surprised how easily these come together and I would say that these are an easy weeknight meal.  The sauce is also a lifesaver it super easy to toss together and tasty to boot.    I admit I have tried to make alfredo the traditional way before but I have a tendency to curdle the milk, so this is a much easier and fool proof option.  Of course if you want you can use these same meatballs for a traditional spaghetti and meatballs and the sauce for a chicken alfredo.  See you too can be like me and do what you want too.

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Pasta Alfredo with Meatballs

Meatballs (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

• 1 pound ground beef (or pork, or lamb, or a mix of the three)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 cloved garlic, pressed
• 1 Tbs Italian seasoning
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano (Parmesan)
• 1 egg
• Salt
• Black pepper in a grinder
• 1 cup flour, spread on a plate
• Vegetable oil for frying

Sauce

• 4 ounces Cream cheese, cut in bits
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup Butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 8 ounces (dry) Fettuccine, prepared according to package directions

Meatballs

Add the pork, milk, panko, garlic, parsley, grated cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Combine all the ingredients with a fork until they are evenly mixed.

Dust a cookie sheet with flour . Pinch off a small lump of meat, and roll the lump into a ball in the palm of your hands. (I used a cooking scoop and then divided the scooped mixture in half.)  When all the meatballs have been shaped, place them on baking sheet. (Yes, I know I forgot to dust the baking sheet, work with me people.)   Using a strainer dust the meatballs with flour. Shake the baking sheet back and forth, rolling the meatballs with the flour. Place a few meatballs at a time in the strainer and shake to remove excess flour.

Put enough vegetable oil in a skillet to rise 1/4-inch up the sides of the pan and turn on the heat to medium high. When the oil is hot, put as many meatballs in the skillet as will fit without overcrowding. Brown them until they form a nice crust all around. When one batch is done, transfer it with a slotted spoon to a platter covered with paper towels to drain and do the next batch until all are done.

Sauce & Pasta

At this point bring a large pot of water to boil to cook your pasta. While the pasta cook, in large saucepan at medium heat combine cream cheese, Parmesan, butter and heavy cream, garlic; stirring constantly until smooth.  Once the sauce is smooth lower the heat and continue to stir until pasta is ready.  If you think the sauce it too thick you can add more milk until it reaches your desired consistency.

Add pasta and as many meatballs as you want to the pan.  I had extra meatballs so I froze them for another occasion. Toss until pasta and meatballs are well coated, serve immediately.

Moroccan Beef Meatball Tagine

It has been so long….I feel as though it has been an eternity since I last posted.  I am still waiting word from Canon about what exactly is wrong with my camera and when will I be getting it back.   But I must forage on and I got my hands on a decent small point and shoot.  It is nothing like my camera but it will have to do for now.

Yesterday I had, what I guess you would call…. cooker’s block?  I had no clue what to make for dinner so I started to thumb through the flagged pages of my Bon Appetit issues.  I came upon this recipe and realized that I had everything I needed to make it. What are the odds of that?  Moroccan meatballs and some homemade pita bread sounded good to me.

Be prepared to cry when making this….not because of it’s beauty and deliciousness although you may cry for that reason….but because you will be chopping 3 1/2 cups of onions and grating 1/3 cup of onions.  At one point I thought my eyes were melting, but of course it was just me being dramatic again…my eyes were fine.

If you look closely at the ingredient list almost all items are things that you would already have in your pantry.  Who would think that you could possibly have a Moroccan dish hanging out in your pantry?  Your pantry is probably more international then you would imagine with the additions of a few items here and there.

You may also want to consider wearing gloves when forming your meatballs.  The saffron and tumeric give you hands and nails a yellow ting giving you a nice authentic jaundice yellow look.  It’s really not cute and a pain to get off.  I am a wee bit embaressed walking around with my jaundice fingernails.

I had never had Moroccan food before and really did not know exactly what to expect, but these meatballs were tender and flavorful.   The seasoning is warm, cozy and perfectly hearty for the cold winter weather.  The tummy was declared full and satisfied.

The original recipe had 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper but I cut it down to a 1/4 tsp.  It was warm without being spicy, I thought it was perfect.  It also suggested serving the meatballs with a lemon couscous but Obed and I are not fans of couscous so I made some pita bread instead.  I will share that recipe with you later.  :)  I had to make two other adjustments because I was missing a few things.  I was out of ground ginger so I grated some fresh ginger instead and I substituted the saffron for half a packet of sazon con achiote.

It worked out perfectly.  We loved it and I may just have to try some more Moroccan food in the future.

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Moroccan Beef Meatball Tagine (adapted from Bon Appetit Jan/2010)

Meatballs:

• 1 pounds ground beef (20% fat)
• 1/3 cup coarsely grated onion
• 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger

Stew:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 packet sazon con achiote
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2 cups 1/2-inch-thick carrot slices (cut on diagonal)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus additional for garnish
• 1 5-ounce package baby spinach leaves

Meatballs:

Line large rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl. Using moistened hands and scant 2 tablespoonfuls for each, roll meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Arrange meatballs on sheet.

Stew:

Heat oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté about 15 minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, and saffron; stir 2 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes with juice, and raisins.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring stew to simmer. Stir in carrots. Carefully add meatballs to stew; gently press into liquid to submerge. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cilantro over. Cover pot; place in oven. Bake until meatballs are cooked through and carrots are tender, about 35 minutes. Sprinkle spinach over stew. Cover and bake until spinach wilts, about 5 minutes longer. Gently stir to mix in spinach, being careful not to break meatballs. Remove cinnamon sticks. Season tagine with salt and pepper. Spoon couscous into bowls; top with tagine. Garnish with cilantro and lemons.

Brie Stuffed Meatballs & Red Wine Mushroom Sauce Hoagie

Brie Stuffed Meatballs in Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

Combine beef, onion, egg, 1/4 cup of red wine, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Make a thin patty about the size of your palm, place a piece of brie in the center, cup your hand and roll into a ball.

Arrange meatballs on a baking sheet or in a pan, drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 - 15 mins, until brown.

While meatballs are in the oven. Melt butter, saute onions & garlic, add mushrooms & fresh rosemary, cook for 3 minutes. Add beef broth & wine, bring to a boil, turn down & simmer for 10 mins. Stir in 1 to 2 tbs of Wondra Flour, depending on desired thickness.

Transfer meatballs to sauce, toss to coat.

Slice meatballs & serve on toasted french bread with garlic butter spread, topped with brie.

• 1 lbs Ground Beef
• 1 large onion, diced (1/4 cup reserved)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup red wine and 3 Tbs red wine
• 1 1/2 tsp Dry Rosemary
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• salt and pepper
• 12 1 inch cubes of brie & slices for assembly
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
• 1-2 Tbs Wondra Flour
• 1 toasted french bread loaf
• garlic butter spread (optional)

Blueberry-Balsamic BBQ Turkey Meatballs

Blueberry-Balsamic BBQ Turkey Meatballs

I know I have been MIA for a few days, mostly because I’ve been working on updating my site. Finally the weekend is here and to top it off it’s snowing, so I decided that today was a good day to get back into the kitchen. Last night I had taken out some ground turkey meat and I had to do something with it today, so I decided on some meatballs. I make BBQ meatballs every once in awhile, but I wanted to give them a twist and I remembered a blueberry-balsamic bbq sauce I saw in one of my cookbooks, so I went digging around for it.

The sauce has a great sweet & tangy taste and my husband said that the meatballs tasted like meatloaf….lol. It was super easy to make. However be sure not to repeat my mistake and make the effort to find the lid to your blender. After cooking the sauce in the pan you have to putting into the blender. Well, I couldn’t find my lid so I got a bowl and set it on top of the blender. (I am sure you can imagine what happened next.) When I turned the blender on it sprayed out. There was blueberry-balsamic bbq sauce everywhere, on the counter, wall and coffeemaker. Amazingly enough I didn’t get any on the ivory turtleneck I was wearing. Mental note, wear darker colors when making this sauce.

Anyways, these meatballs turned out great and the sauce will go great with any protein. I think I may try this sauce on some ribs….Mmmmmmm.

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Blueberry-Balsamic BBQ Turkey Meatballs (14 meatballs)

Meatballs

• 1 lbs of ground turkey meat
• 1/4 cup of minced parsley
• 2 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Sauce (from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 04)

• 2 cups blueberries
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbs sugar
• 3 Tbs ketchup
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. To prepare meatballs, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl, mix together working with hands. Shape meat into about 14 1 inch balls. Set aside.

2. Place all ingredients for bbq in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 mins. Remove from heat and transfer into a blender, process until smooth.

3. Place meatballs into the same saucepan over a medium heat and brown. Pour sauce over the meatballs, cover and simmer for about 8 mins or until meatballs are done.

Enjoy!