WHO WANTS MEATBALLS?
I think I'm gonna use this gif for every post from now on.
So my dad and I are both chefs and food lovers in our own right, and now that I'm staying with him for a little while, we can kind of bump off each other's culinary inspiration and make some really bangin' food. We've done a lot of cooking in the last week, and I figured I'd go ahead and start with one of my favorites.
If there's one thing I love making, it's meatballs. I mean, seriously, can you go wrong with meatballs? Even if you mess them up, you can still make all kinds of other stuff with them! They taste great by themselves or with some pasta or maybe roasted vegetables, and as soon as you stick a toothpick in them, BAM. Fancy hors d'oeuvres right there.
I've made meatballs plenty of times before, and each time, I've tried to do at least a little something to improve them--there's been times I've baked them, simmered them in a pan with a little oil, or maybe some pasta sauce. But my favorite, and everyone else's unanimous favorite, is Marsala meatballs.
The secret? Mushrooms. You want mushrooms right there in the skillet cracklin' and sizzlin' and baskin' in all that warm, wine-y goodness. The meatballs will taste pretty great depending on how you season them, but the mushrooms are your flavor secret weapon--they soak up all the flavor of everything around them and explode in your mouth. This I have learned time and time again--people tell me the meatballs taste great, but the mushrooms just make the dish.
Marsala Meatballs a la Portabellas
Yields: 7-10 large meatballs
Now I know what you guys are thinking: "What's that delicious-looking pizza square thing on the left side of the plate?" Well as it happens, that was my dad's culinary contribution to the meal. His concoction was Crabby Flatbread, a killer combination of fresh crab meat, Ranch dressing, and shredded Parm atop a flatbread crust. Since it wasn't my creation, I'm not at liberty to write the recipe... at least, until I pester him for permission, 'cuz that stuff was goooooooood.
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
About 3 cups red wine (any kind--I'm not experienced enough yet to suggest variants)
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms -OR- 1 can mushrooms, drained (doesn't HAVE to be portabellas)
1 egg
3-4 tbsp butter
At least 1/2 cup flour
Bleu cheese crumble (optional, but trust me, it tastes so good)
1 tbsp applewood rub
1 tsp garlic powder/salt
Dash of Oregano, salt, and pepper
Instructions:
1.) Heat a large, deep skillet over high heat. Once it reaches temperature, melt the butter.
2.) Add a little bit of flour to the butter, mixing well until it combines and forms a thick, gravy-ish consistency.
3.) Add the wine, 1 cup at a time, stirring well. Allow it to simmer and boil for about 5 minutes, to help break down the alcohol.
4.) Reduce to medium heat and add the mushrooms. Cover and stir occasionally.
5.) Break up your ground beef in a large bowl. You can just use your hands (WEAR GLOVES OR MAKE SURE THEY'RE CLEAN!) and break it into large chunks for now.
6.) Add the egg, applewood, garlic, Oregano, and salt and pepper. I've learned not to be stingy with salt as it is very easy to sacrifice flavor in doing so. So don't pour it in, but be generous with your dash(es). Grind and mix together until it becomes a large mass.
7.) Pulling off palm-sized handfuls at a time, shape the meat into balls. Mine lingered at about 1-inch in diameter, but you can mix it up if you'd like.
8.) Once you've shaped all the meat into balls, begin adding them, one at a time, to the wine and mushroom mixture.
NOTE: you'll want to keep a very close eye on the meatballs for the first 5-10 minutes of cooking. Use tongs or a spatula and rotate/turn them frequently. This will allow for even browning and prevent them from sitting on one side for too long, which will cause them to burn. After they've began to brown properly on all side, you can let them side on one side for a bit longer, to allow the insides to cook undisturbed.
9.) Allow the meatballs to cook, in total, for about 15-20 minutes, covering in between rotations. Keeping them covered locks in all the moisture, and the built-up steam will help cook them internally!
Also, I'd recommend using a toothpick to poke small holes all the way through the meatballs, from top to bottom. The tiny openings will help guide heat to the inside of the meatballs, which will cook them thoroughly. Don't make too many openings though, as that will make the structure unstable and cause them to crumble apart.
10.) Once the meatballs are nice and dark brown on the outside, remove the skillet from heat. Place meatballs on a plate, on at a time, and use a spoon or scoop to generously glaze them with the Marsala sauce and mushrooms. Crumble with Bleu cheese and serve hot with an ice cold beverage.
NOTE: you'll want to keep a very close eye on the meatballs for the first 5-10 minutes of cooking. Use tongs or a spatula and rotate/turn them frequently. This will allow for even browning and prevent them from sitting on one side for too long, which will cause them to burn. After they've began to brown properly on all side, you can let them side on one side for a bit longer, to allow the insides to cook undisturbed.
9.) Allow the meatballs to cook, in total, for about 15-20 minutes, covering in between rotations. Keeping them covered locks in all the moisture, and the built-up steam will help cook them internally!
Also, I'd recommend using a toothpick to poke small holes all the way through the meatballs, from top to bottom. The tiny openings will help guide heat to the inside of the meatballs, which will cook them thoroughly. Don't make too many openings though, as that will make the structure unstable and cause them to crumble apart.
10.) Once the meatballs are nice and dark brown on the outside, remove the skillet from heat. Place meatballs on a plate, on at a time, and use a spoon or scoop to generously glaze them with the Marsala sauce and mushrooms. Crumble with Bleu cheese and serve hot with an ice cold beverage.
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