Food Porn, Part Five
Food of the Past Few Weeks: MEAT-TA-BALLS!
Or, you know, just meatballs. I mentioned in a few Food Porns ago (and many entries in general ago) that I've had some trouble in the past with these meatballs. Primarily, forgetting key ingredients, which just baffled me to begin with. What can I say? I was dreaming of Olive Garden.
Alas, a few weeks back, I finally decided to try my hand at it again. It's summer now, and the temps are hellish, and my mom was working outside in the horrible heat, and she loves spaghetti and meatballs, so I thought, what the hell. See if I can pull it off, in some nice clean, tasty way.
AND I DID IT.
Of course, I did it by conferring with about three recipes, but I still did it. Between Bobby Flay, Some Random but Helpful Person, and the recipe on the back of the spaghetti box, I did it. Remembered all the ingredients this time too (seasoned breadcrumbs, I shall be buried with you).
And it turned out...?
Rather well. I went for fairly big and hearty-sized meatballs the first go-around and they were a hit. A little toasty thanks to the baking, but drizzling some olive oil over the mixture before putting them in really perfects it, in my opinion. Even with some generic sauce added, since I was too lazy to make it myself, it was still delish. Point for Laurie.
Second go-around, though, was a vague flop. I was using leftover mixture and made smaller-sized portions. My dad was the newbie tester this time and, during the meal, he was pretty quiet. Therefore, no rave reviews, and a good tip for the future: if I'm going to make it, make it fresh. No point for Laurie.
Yet, the third time, where I mimicked what I did the first time down to a tee, was another excellent success. My grandmother, who has cooked all her life and is insanely good at it, was very impressed and that's the equivalent to a gold star as far as cooking goes. Another point for Laurie.
So, now that I had perfected my meatball recipe, thanks to the three recipes already provided, I decided to try something with a little twist. I was home alone tonight, and I hadn't eaten for most of the day, so I figured a big meal was in order and I wanted something SPI-SAY. Or spicy. Yet I also wanted pasta, so what better way to combine the two than to maaaaake...
Garlicky pasta with spicy mexican meatballs.
I really like the Crepes of Wrath, as far as food blogs go. I had never tried something from it, however, and since this fit my cravings exactly, I once again took the plunge. First off, I broke from my all-beef meatball mold and added some Italian pork sausage to the mixture this time; it began what turned out to be a series of spice kicked into the meal. Next, when it came to exact portions, I was a rebel and didn't use any measuring, relying on personal taste -- for example, I used two eggs rather than one, a ton of breadcrumbs and pepper jack cheese, and a good dose of red pepper flakes (because I am pyro in my mouth, apparently).
I was also curious about the pasta-making itself. Cooking pasta is really simple, and when it's boiling, I always add some salt and parmesean cheese. But, I hadn't heard about draining the noodles with olive oil and minced garlic, and definitely wanted to see how it tasted.
Problem 1: I didn't have any cloves of garlic.
Solution 1: I DID have minced garlic in the shape of regular seasoning.
Explanation 1: When without actual cloves, pre-minced garlic sold in those cute little containers can sometimes serve as a respectable replacement.
Failure 1: This was not one of those times.
Not only did I burn the minced garlic to a point that a very... peculiar, toasty smell developed in my kitchen, but in the process I used up the rest of my olive oil. Fail fail fail. When I told my best friend via Aim, she pointed and laughed at me. To make up for that little loss, I coated the pasta while it was boiling with garlic powder and then added even more after draining.
Coupling that with the meatballs, no less the black and red pepper garnish topped on the pasta, I delved headfirst into a successful, delicious, and holy shit spicy first try at this pretty recipe. I preened. I took a picture of it with my camera phone and sent it to my best friend. I preened more.
Then I later proceeded to have a bit of an upset stomach after my second plate.
Did I save the leftovers, though? Damn straight I did.
Or, you know, just meatballs. I mentioned in a few Food Porns ago (and many entries in general ago) that I've had some trouble in the past with these meatballs. Primarily, forgetting key ingredients, which just baffled me to begin with. What can I say? I was dreaming of Olive Garden.
Alas, a few weeks back, I finally decided to try my hand at it again. It's summer now, and the temps are hellish, and my mom was working outside in the horrible heat, and she loves spaghetti and meatballs, so I thought, what the hell. See if I can pull it off, in some nice clean, tasty way.
AND I DID IT.
Of course, I did it by conferring with about three recipes, but I still did it. Between Bobby Flay, Some Random but Helpful Person, and the recipe on the back of the spaghetti box, I did it. Remembered all the ingredients this time too (seasoned breadcrumbs, I shall be buried with you).
And it turned out...?
Rather well. I went for fairly big and hearty-sized meatballs the first go-around and they were a hit. A little toasty thanks to the baking, but drizzling some olive oil over the mixture before putting them in really perfects it, in my opinion. Even with some generic sauce added, since I was too lazy to make it myself, it was still delish. Point for Laurie.
Second go-around, though, was a vague flop. I was using leftover mixture and made smaller-sized portions. My dad was the newbie tester this time and, during the meal, he was pretty quiet. Therefore, no rave reviews, and a good tip for the future: if I'm going to make it, make it fresh. No point for Laurie.
Yet, the third time, where I mimicked what I did the first time down to a tee, was another excellent success. My grandmother, who has cooked all her life and is insanely good at it, was very impressed and that's the equivalent to a gold star as far as cooking goes. Another point for Laurie.
So, now that I had perfected my meatball recipe, thanks to the three recipes already provided, I decided to try something with a little twist. I was home alone tonight, and I hadn't eaten for most of the day, so I figured a big meal was in order and I wanted something SPI-SAY. Or spicy. Yet I also wanted pasta, so what better way to combine the two than to maaaaake...
Garlicky pasta with spicy mexican meatballs.
I really like the Crepes of Wrath, as far as food blogs go. I had never tried something from it, however, and since this fit my cravings exactly, I once again took the plunge. First off, I broke from my all-beef meatball mold and added some Italian pork sausage to the mixture this time; it began what turned out to be a series of spice kicked into the meal. Next, when it came to exact portions, I was a rebel and didn't use any measuring, relying on personal taste -- for example, I used two eggs rather than one, a ton of breadcrumbs and pepper jack cheese, and a good dose of red pepper flakes (because I am pyro in my mouth, apparently).
I was also curious about the pasta-making itself. Cooking pasta is really simple, and when it's boiling, I always add some salt and parmesean cheese. But, I hadn't heard about draining the noodles with olive oil and minced garlic, and definitely wanted to see how it tasted.
Problem 1: I didn't have any cloves of garlic.
Solution 1: I DID have minced garlic in the shape of regular seasoning.
Explanation 1: When without actual cloves, pre-minced garlic sold in those cute little containers can sometimes serve as a respectable replacement.
Failure 1: This was not one of those times.
Not only did I burn the minced garlic to a point that a very... peculiar, toasty smell developed in my kitchen, but in the process I used up the rest of my olive oil. Fail fail fail. When I told my best friend via Aim, she pointed and laughed at me. To make up for that little loss, I coated the pasta while it was boiling with garlic powder and then added even more after draining.
Coupling that with the meatballs, no less the black and red pepper garnish topped on the pasta, I delved headfirst into a successful, delicious, and holy shit spicy first try at this pretty recipe. I preened. I took a picture of it with my camera phone and sent it to my best friend. I preened more.
Then I later proceeded to have a bit of an upset stomach after my second plate.
Did I save the leftovers, though? Damn straight I did.