Mix ground beef, pork, salt & pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning Panko, parsley, egg, milk and Parmesan in a bowl. Use your hands to mix.
Roll the meatball mixture into large balls, depending on the desired size. Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add the meatballs and cook for 5-7 minutes, turning to brown all sides.
Meanwhile, make your own homemade marinara sauce or heat jarred marinara sauce in a large pot. Once the meatballs have browned, remove from the oil and place in the pot of simmering marinara sauce. Let cook on low heat for about 20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through.
Cut bread in half, making sure not to cut all the way through. Spread butter over both sides of the bread. Put oven on the broil setting. Heat until the butter is completely melted and remove from the oven. Watch carefully as it can easily burn.
Place cooked meatballs and sauce onto the bread and generously cover with mozzarella. Return to the oven and cook until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Top with fresh Italian parsley and serve immediately with extra sauce on the side for dipping. Top with giardiniera, if you like.
1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels; sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken in batches; cook until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings.
2. Add onion and celery to the pot; cook and stir over medium-high heat until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add broth, stirring to loosen browned bits from the pot. Bring to a boil. Return chicken and drippings to the pot. Add carrots, bay leaves and Italian seasoning. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until chicken is tender, 25-30 minutes.
3. Transfer chicken to a plate. Remove soup from heat. Add noodles; let stand, covered, until noodles are tender, 20-22 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, when chicken is cool enough to handle, cut meat into bite-sized pieces. Return meat to the pot. Stir in parsley. Adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper, if needed. Discard bay leaves.
1. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded chicken with the spices and lime juice. Stir until chicken is coated thoroughly.
2. Wrap the tortillas in a tortilla warmer or damp paper towel. Heat them in the microwave for 60-90 seconds.
3. Working with one at a time (keeping others warm), take a warmed tortilla and place on a clean surface. Take a heaping spoonful of the chicken (about the same size as your index finger) and place on tortilla. Top with some cheese. Roll up tightly and secure seam with toothpick. Place on a tray and repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
4. Pour oil in deep skillet and heat to 350°F. Prepare a baking tray with wire rack or line a plate with paper towels. Set aside.
5. Cook in batches of 5 (to not drop the temperature and more easily turn taquitos), fry 1-2 minutes until golden brown, turning to get both sides. Transfer to tray or plate and immediately sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining.
6. Remove toothpicks before serving. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into chunks
2 cups of canned pineapple chunks
2 small red bell peppers cut into 1 inch pieces
2 small green bell peppers cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium red onions cut into 1 inch pieces
Cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Lime wedges, for squeezing
In a medium bowl combine the ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, rice vinegar, ginger and sesame oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken in a large resealable bag and pour half of the over the chicken; reserve the remaining marinade in the refrigerator, for basting. Marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
Soak 4 long bamboo skewers in cold water for 20 minutes.
Heat your grill to medium-high heat.
Thread the chicken, pineapple, bell peppers and red onion alternately onto the skewers. Drizzle the skewers with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Grill for 5 minutes, or so, on each side. Brush the marinade all over each kabob and grill for one minute more on each side. Serve immediately, garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.
In a large bowl, mix the beef and pork together with the spices, chopped chipotles and 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce. If using chorizo, just mix the beef with the spices, then mix in the chorizo. You can substitute all the spices with your favorite Mexican spice blend if you like.
In a large skillet, cook the meat until it’s completely done. I like mine a little on the overdone side with a little crisp on the meat. Add the stock as needed for desired consistency. I like to keep mine a little on the dry side. Turn the heat off and cover until serving.
Warm the tortillas in a skillet, on a grill or over a gas flame.
Build the tacos using two tortillas, the meat, chopped onion and cilantro. Top with hot sauce, a pinch of salt and a lime squeeze.
Mexican Street Corn
6 to 8 medium ears sweet corn, shucked and silk removed
1/2 cup Mexican crema, or sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup minced cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Chile powder
2 teaspoons lime zest, from one lime
2 tablespoon lime juice, from one lime
1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
Lime wedges, for squeezing
Heat your grill to high.
In a bowl, whisk together the crema, mayonnaise, cilantro, garlic, chipotle pepper, lime zest and lime juice. Taste and season the mixture with salt if needed. Set aside.
Place the husked corn directly onto grill grates. Grill the corn for about 3 minutes, undisturbed, or until kernels begin to turn golden brown and look charred. Turn over and repeat. When all sides are browned, remove from the grill onto a plate.
Using a brush or a spoon, coat each ear of corn with the crema mixture. Sprinkle with crumbled cotija cheese. Top with more Chile powder, cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Back at it Tuesday. Hope you had a great three day weekend. The tri-tip, baked beans and grilled corn on the cob was great last night. Of course, I made tacos with my tri-tip. So tonight, we’re all in with shrimp.
Baked Shrimp Scampi
2 lbs. Medium 16/20 frozen shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined
One and a half sticks of butter
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic, minced
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes, or to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped (about ¼ cup)
Your favorite pasta, for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving
Pre-heat oven to 375.
Place shrimp, butter, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and chopped parsley in a roasting or casserole dish.
Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until shrimp are fully cooked and no longer translucent.
Mix the shrimp halfway through cooking to make sure it fully cooks.
Serve with lemon wedges and enjoy on it’s own, with a good steak, or over a bowl of your favorite pasta.
Happy Labor Day Weekend! I hope you enjoy your weekend and eat well!
Roasted Chile Verde Tacos
4-6 lbs. bone in pork shoulder (pork butt)
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
2 poblano Chile peppers seeded, cut in half and roasted
1or 2 jalapenos seeded, cut in half and roasted
1 lb. tomatillos husks removed, quartered and roasted
1 yellow onion quartered and roasted
4 cloves garlic whole or 4 teaspoons jarred
Chili powder. About a palm full
ground cumin. About a palm full
Dried oregano. About a palm full
Fresh cilantro chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Corn or flour tortillas
Toppings:
Red onion finely diced or sliced into half-moons
Cilantro
Sliced radishes (pickled or not)
Thinly sliced red or green cabbage
Queso fresco or cotija cheese, crumbled
Lime wedges, for squeezing
Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
On a baking sheet, rub your vegetables with vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast the vegetables in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.
Season the pork with the salt and pepper and then add to the hot oil. Sear on all sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Place the browned pork into a slow cooker, with the poblano chiles, jalapeno, tomatillos, yellow onion, garlic, ground cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, cilantro, chicken broth/stock, and bay leaf.
Turn the heat to low and cook 6-7 hours, or until the pork is tender enough to be pulled apart with a fork. You can also cook in a pressure cooker, 60-90 minutes.
Remove the pork and shred using two forks or the bone of the pork butt (wait for it to cool a bit).
In the meantime, remove the bay leaf from the cooker and discard. Either using an immersion blender directly in the cooker bowl or by transferring the contents to a kitchen blender, puree the cooked peppers, onion, and chicken broth mixture until smooth. This is the Chile Verde sauce. If using a blender, let the sauce cool a bit and put a kitchen towel over the top of the blender and hold the lid on with your hand. Otherwise, it could explode on ya. If you Season to taste with salt as needed.
Heat and slightly char your tortillas over a gas flame or on your grill.
Top the tortillas with a mound of the shredded pork, followed by the pureed Chile Verde sauce. Also top with additional chopped cilantro, red onion, radish crumbled queso fresco. Feel free to squeeze some limes as well!
Happy Friday! I was going to post Mama Areola’s legendary lasagna, but it’s gonna be too damned hot this weekend to turn on the oven. So, take the cookin’ outside.
Jack Daniel’s Grilled Steak with Garlic-Pepper Shrimp & Italian Salad
4 boneless New York Strip Steaks
1/2- cup Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
1/2- cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup light brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, minced
Montreal Steak Seasoning
1. Place the steaks in a pan that is large enough to hold all 4. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the whiskey, soy sauce, olive oil, mustard, brown sugar, garlic, and steak seasoning; whisk until thoroughly combined.
3. Pour the marinade over the steaks, turning the steaks once or twice to coat evenly with the marinade.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator, turning it a couple of times while in the fridge.
5. Remove steaks from fridge 30 minutes before you are ready to grill.
6. Prepare your charcoal or gas grill. For steaks, you want the heat as high as possible.
7. Right before you are ready to cook, pour cooking oil on a paper towel and oil the grate using long-handled tongs.
8. Drain the marinade off the steak and discard the marinade.
9. Season the steaks with a liberal amount of steak seasoning.
10. Place the steak on the hot grate and grill until cooked to your liking.
11. After the steak is properly seared, if it’s not finished cooking, move it to the warm side of the grill, close the lid and continue to cook the steak until it’s at your desired temperature.
12. To test for doneness using a digital instant read thermometer.
13. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let them rest for about 5 minutes before cutting.
Garlic-Pepper Grilled Shrimp
1 fresh red Chile (such as Fresno), seeds removed, finely grated
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for grill
1-pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail on
Lime wedges and chili powder, for serving
Special Equipment:
Four 8-inch-long metal skewers or bamboo skewers soaked 30 minutes in water
1.Whisk Chile, garlic, pepper, lime juice, and 2 Tbsp. oil in a large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat; season with steak seasoning. 2.Thread shrimp onto sets of 2 skewers.
3.Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; clean grates well, then oil.
4.Grill shrimp, turning once, until cooked through and lightly charred, about 5 minutes total. Serve with lime wedges dipped in chili powder.
Italian Salad
½ cup olive oil
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 garlic clove, finely grated
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
1 small head of iceberg lettuce
1 small red onion, sliced into rings
4 ounces provolone cheese, thinly sliced
2 cups drained small mozzarella balls, torn
10 pepperoncini peppers
Whisk oil, vinegar, mayonnaise, sugar, oregano, and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut lettuce in half through stem end. Tear apart into large pieces. Arrange on a platter and scatter onion, provolone, mozzarella, and pepperoncini over the lettuce. Drizzle with dressing to coat to your liking (you’ll probably have some extra) and top with more black pepper.
2 Tablespoons Old Bay, Lemon-Pepper or Creole/Cajun seasonings
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Brush both sides of the cod fillets with butter and season with your favorite seasonings.
Let the cod marinate and absorb spices for a few minutes. In the meantime, preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Then, grease the air fryer basket cooking spray.
Place the cod fillets in the air fryer basket and cook for 8-10 minutes. Flip the fillets halfway through the cooking time so they cook evenly on both sides. Use a meat thermometer to check if the internal temperature of the fish has reached 145°F. Garnish with parsley.
Tartar Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup dill pickles, finely chopped
1 Tbsp capers, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh dill
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp fresh-ground pepper
2 Tbsp grated white onion
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
