Saturday, April 7, 2012

Your Basic Deviled Egg


Deviled eggs is the food I look forward to the most at Easter time. This year my husband and I decided to stay home rather than visiting the family, but I won't go without the deviled eggs. The great thing is that you can make as many or as few as you like. If your making them for a large group you may want to make a couple dozen, but if you're making them just for yourself (as I'm doing this year) then you can make just a couple.

This is a super-basic deviled egg because it's the only kind I like. I hate when sweet relish is added or any other "creative ingredients" for that matter. But when you have such a basic recipe it has to be spot on. These actually earned me an A on a final in culinary school last year. First, you want to make sure you don't use really fresh eggs. As an egg ages, it starts to pull away from that membrane between the egg and shell, making it easier to peel once the egg is cooked. Second, you want to make sure you cook the eggs properly. Nobody likes rubbery egg whites or green yolks from overcooking.

How to make a proper hard-boiled egg.

  1. Bring eggs to room temperature by leaving them out for about an hour. 
  2. Place eggs in a pot and over them with tap water. 
  3. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. 
  4. Let boil for just 1 minute (no longer) and then turn off the heat. 
  5. Set a timer for 12 minutes. 
  6. At the end of 12 minutes, remove the eggs from the hot water and place in a cold water bath to stop the cooking process.
Your egg should look like this. The whites will be soft and the yolks yellow. 


How to make deviled eggs.
Ingredients:
  • 6 hard boiled eggs
  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • paprika, for garnish
  1. Peel eggs and cut in half length-wise. Remove the yolks and place them in a bowl. Set the whites aside. 
  2. To yolks, add mayo, Dijon, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add more salt to taste. 
  3. Put the yolk mixture into a piping bag with tip. If you don't have a piping bag, just use a zip lock bag with a corner cut off. Pipe the mixture in the egg whites. 
  4. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Refrigerate and serve once fully chilled. 

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Mmmm... Meatballs and Spaghetti

Italians eat spaghetti. Italians eat meatballs. Italian do not, however, eat spaghetti and meatballs. That is an American invention and a splendid one at that.


My husband, Jimmy, and I had lunch at an Italian restaurant one day where Jimmy ordered their famous giant meatball (yes, just one as this thing was the size of a softball) with spaghetti. His meatball was bland and crumbly. I promised him that I would make him the best meatball he's ever had. And I did. Combining ground beef, pork, and pancetta, packs a huge punch of flavor. My meatballs are rich, moist, and far from bland. This recipe makes a lot of meatballs and is great for entertaining a large crowd. I love making meatball subs with the leftovers too!

Meatballs Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 lb lean ground pork
  • 6 oz pancetta, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed into a paste
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin, dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Sauce Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 2-28 oz cans San Marzano tomatoes, with juice
  • 1-6 oz can tomato paste
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • sugar, to taste
  • grated Parmesan, for serving
  • 2 lbs spaghetti
  1. Start by making meatballs. Preheat oven to 400F and spray 2 baking sheets with non-stick spray or olive oil. 
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the Panko and milk, letting it sit for a few minutes and mash with a fork against the side of the bowl. Then add all the rest of the ingredients and fold everything together. 
  3. Roll into meatballs about the size of a golf ball and place on the baking sheets. This will give you about 30-40 balls. Place in oven and set timer for 25 minutes. When meatballs are done, remove from the oven and reduce heat to 300F. 
  4. While meatballs are cooking, start on the sauce. In (very) large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute the onions  with a couple pinches of salt until translucent. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano, and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
  5. Pour in the wine, tomatoes, and tomato paste, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce. Simmer for another 10 minutes. 
  6. Adjust taste using salt, pepper and sugar. Use a teaspoon of sugar at a time- this will deepen the flavor, but don't use too much. You can also add more oregano right now if you'd like. 
  7. Place the meatballs into the sauce and try to get them mostly covered with sauce. Cover pot with foil and place in the oven for 1 hour. 
  8. In separate pot, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions minus 1 minute. Drain the spaghetti and return to the pot. Stir in a little sauce from the meatballs. 
  9. To serve, place spaghetti on a plate and then top with 2-3 meatballs plus more sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan.