From our Food Goddess, TaMara:
Things are not slowing down here. I put a bid in on a cute little Victorian house, only to face 15 other bids this past week. I did not realize house hunting was going to turn into a full-time job that feels like an episode of the Bachelor, where I go home without the rose each week. Between that and raising a rambunctious 10-month old Great Dane, the weeks are slipping by. Speaking of the Beast, I had to clean out the freezer to make room for his frozen apples halves (apples were on sale, so I stocked up) and his giant beef bones (again, on sale, so I stocked up and boiled a good two week supply). Deep in the freezer, behind the pumpkin, cranberries and leftovers, was a pint of ricotta.
Decided I needed to use it up, so I dug into the archives looking for my vegetarian meatball recipe. That became tonight’s featured recipe, and I pulled up the previous recipe exchange where it was featured and said, “hey, that looks good.” In other words, tonight is a repeat. Next week, though, I’m planning on sharing some fun recipes I’ve been playing with this week.
To start tonight, how about homemade ricotta? JeffreyW has made it and if you click here and he’ll take you step by step through the process.
He then puts his homemade ricotta to good use with Stuffed Shells, as pretty to look at as they are delicious. (recipe and photos here)
I have a great alternative to regular gnocchi, a lighter, easier version using ricotta cheese and a fire roasted sauce to make a simple, quick Baked Gnocchi. (recipe here).
A quick Skillet Lasagna (recipe here) is great for weeknights and a breeze to make.
And a yummy dessert from JeffreyW, a beautiful Cannoli recipe, pictured above and found here.
Finally, for the pet lovers, a Bixby update from the pup himself. If you click here, be prepared, he’s a Beast, standing at his full height on his hind legs.
What’s on your menu for the weekend? Anyone else house hunting? Have you started your gardens in earnest yet?Now on to the featured recipe. These are very simple to make and are delicious. It’s a great vegetarian alternative for your pasta dishes. They’re light and once you get the technique down, you can play with the flavors and customize them to your palate.
Most of the recipes I looked at used Italian Breadcrumbs. But I really feel these need fresh breadcrumbs, so I’ve included instructions for making your own. I didn’t season mine because I didn’t want them to overpower the delicate flavors of the cheeses. Fresh breadcrumbs absorb flavors and moisture more than packaged ones, so I thought it gave the whole meatball a better, lighter texture. I added a bit of garlic powder (fresh garlic did not work with this, it was overpowering and a touch bitter), basil, oregano and fennel. The fennel really took it up a notch. My second round of these, I added a bit of red pepper flake.
Spinach and Ricotta Vegetarian Meatballs
1-1/2 to 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (instructions below)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan, asiago, romano cheese mix
1-1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 tbsp fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
2 tsp fresh basil or 1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed
1/2 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
Salt and pepper
4 eggs, beaten
=======1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, asiago, romano cheese
Olive oilBreadcrumbs: this took a full 1-lb loaf of day-old Italian or French bread. I bought it from the day-old rack for cheap. I tore it into small pieces, spread out on a baking sheet and dried it in a 200 degree F oven for about 30 minutes. I didn’t want them toasted or seasoned because I thought it would overpower the delicate flavors of these meatballs. Once they were dried, I ran them through the blender. I reserved 1/4 cup for rolling the balls in before cooking.
Meatballs: Mix together ricotta, grated cheeses, spinach and spices. Add the eggs and mix well. Then add the breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup at a time. You want it to come together to form soft balls, but you don’t want it to be dry. Once you can form a soft ball with some structure, you don’t need to add more breadcrumbs.
Scoop up a heaping tablespoon (I used my cookie dough scoop) and roll the mixture into balls.
Mix together 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup grated cheeses in a bowl and roll each meatball in the mixture, coating on all sides.
You can bake or pan fry these. I chose to pan fry, it used a bit of oil, but it gave them a nice flavor. Baking them would be my option if I was doubling the recipe.
To fry: heat olive oil in a skillet on medium and add the meatballs, leaving enough space between them to easily turn them. They are soft, so it’s a delicate process. The good news is, if you really want them round (instead of kind of flattened) you can reshape them after they come out of the pan. Turn them until they are golden brown on all sides.
To bake: place them on a well oiled baking sheet or use parchment paper. Brush them with a bit of oil if desired. Leave space around each one so they brown evenly and bake at 375 degrees F for 30-40 minutes until golden brown. You can turn them halfway through if desired.
Serve them with your favorite pasta and sauce. If you need sauce ideas, click here for Garden Fresh Sauce and click here for Awesome Sauce.
That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend – TaMara
Ruckus
TaMara
We had a huge German Shepard as a shop dog when I was a young lad. Came with the shop my dad bought. Name of Poison. Junk yard type he was also a racist, bet he was trained that way by the previous owner. My dad was about 5′ 8-9 and when Poison stood on his hind legs and put his front legs on dad’s shoulders, he could rest his head on top of dad’s. There were 3 people who could touch him. 2 of them fed him regularly and the third was me. Don’t know why I wasn’t afraid of him, maybe I should have been. Have no idea how much he weighed but it was quite a bit more than me at about 98 soaking wet.
chopper
just made some ricotta the other day.
Roger Moore
I’ve only recently discovered that ricotta makes a nice supplement to mozzarella on a pizza. It doesn’t get burned as easily, and provides a bit of a contrast.
TaMara (BHF)
@Ruckus: Love that story. Everyone on FB is freaking about Bixby’s size – but he’s not as tall as my other Danes were….yet. My ex was 6’7″ and they could stand on his shoulders and look in his eyes.
I wonder if your Shepard had some big dog mixed in him – maybe Newfoundland. Bixby’s playdate is a tervuren shepherd (one of the Belgian breeds) and he’s pretty tall.
NotMax
Sorry, but if they’re veggie they are not meatballs.
Ruckus
@TaMara (BHF):
Anything is possible but he looked shepard, just huge. Being a true junk yard dog he could have come from anywhere, the street, the pound, someone’s family dog….
He had a pretty good sized dog house, made of 4x4s and corrugated steel. Two men couldn’t pull it but Poison could. He was tied up with a chain, the kind and size used to tie down tractors on a flatbed truck and he broke it on more than one occasion.
Sandia Blanca
Back in the 1960s, my best friend’s Mom was on Weight Watchers, and we tried lots of goofy WW recipes with her. One that I still love is this one:
FRUIT DANISH DELIGHT
1/2 medium apple, peeled, cored and grated
1/3 c skim milk ricotta cheese
artificial sweetener to equal 2 t sugar
1/4 t cinnamon
1 slice white enriched bread, toasted crisp
Combine first 4 ingredients. Pile on toast and broil until heated through and slightly browned on top. Makes one serving for the morning meal.
divF
Word is that California cherries are starting to come in. It seems a little early, but I’ll check at the produce store tomorrow.
It’s a short season in California, 6-8 weeks, but it is a great 6-8 weeks.
Mike in NC
We’re able to buy fresh shrimp right off the boats here and tonight we tried an awesome recipe for shrimp fajitas, as good as any restaurant.
Keith P.
About to make a couple of BLTs for dinner, but tomorrow is stuffed cabbage. Mixing it up a bit by using lamb.
Omnes Omnibus
@Keith P.: Please don’t put mayo on the sandwiches. A little butter is enough. Please.
Keith P.
@Omnes Omnibus: That’s what ties it all together!
Omnes Omnibus
@Keith P.: I stand by my oft-stated position that mayo is evil. It is one of the few things that automatically triggers my gag response.
Mike J
I made tacos tonight with fresh true cod, mango/pineapple/coconut relish, black beans, crunchy cabbage, with some chipotle sauce to give it a little kick. The fish was just marinated for about 15 minutes in oil/lime juice/chili powder and tossed on the grill for two minutes per side, tortillas warmed enough to get grill marks.
I am stuffed.
Mike J
@NotMax:
Earlier today I saw someone refer to a vegetarian Reuben sandwich. My first thought was that’s like a “vodka martini”. There may be some people who claim to like it, but it’s not the genuine article if you add that modifier.
Omnes Omnibus
@Mike J:
GAAAH!
Little Boots
@Omnes Omnibus:
no upstairs?
Laura
Sacramento’s best farmer’s market ( under the W X across from South side Park) had the first cherries last Sunday, the 19th. Small, sweet, very tender and pricey, but still fresh cherries. I was surprised to see them this early, but the mild, dry winter and earlier arriving Spring has moved up the season for lots of produce. I expect that apricots aren’t far behind – and when they are, some apricot walnut cream or ricotta pastry tart is on my list of things to make.
Mart
We made the ricotta “meatballs” last night, and they are awesome. Have been a cheesatarian for twenty years, but the texture shocked me. Expected them to be mushy, but had the mouth-feel of what I recall a real meatball has. Thanks for the recipe.
And my wife makes a mean veggie rueben, using a gluten/tomato based meat substitute.