What’s Cooking this Winter?...

It’s winter time again! I love this time of the year because i can eat all my favourite foods. Time for those comforting warm meals; hot chocolate and rusks; all enjoyed in front of a cosy fire..

So in my never ending quest to find amazing recipes, I came across an interesting way of making meatballs. Now i think most people love meatballs, but they are sp time consuming to prepare. Thanks to Ina Garten’s “The Barefoot Contessa” and Gordon Ramsey’s “Ultimate Cookery Course” shows on Food Network (DSTV 175) I was armed with plenty of ideas on how to make the ultimate flavoursome meatballs.

My main objectives were to have a generic meatball recipe that had maximum flavour; maintained moisture in the meat; and ensured that they could be prepared ahead of time and kept for a “rainy day”. So one morning this past week, when I was due to only go to work in the evening I decided to put my ideas to the test. I’ll call this “Kay’s Triple Delight Meatballs” recipe
 

Ingredients:

600g Minced Chicken; 600g Minced Pork;

600g Regular Minced Beef (the fatty one)
2 Slices of Fresh White Bread;
½ Cup Dried Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs
1 Cup Milk
1 Large Onion Finely Chopped
2 tsp Minced Garlic
2 Tbs Cooking Oil
½ Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 Tsp Dried Basil
1 Tsp Dried Parsley
1 Tsp Dried Chilli Flakes
1 Tsp Garlic Herb Powder
4 Tbs Worcester Sauce

 

 

1.       In a large mixing bowl, combine all the meats, together with 2 Tsp of salt and the Worcester sauce. Leave to stand for 10 – 15mins

2.       In a smaller bowl lightly beat the eggs and milk. Then add the fresh bread and the dried bread crumbs and leave to stand until all the egg mixture is absorbed into the bread.

3.       In a large pan sauté the onions on a low-med heat until they are thoroughly cooked (they should taste sweet). Once they are cooked add the crushed garlic and cook for another 5 mins. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

 

4.       Add the dry seasoning to the meat: Black Pepper; Dried Basil; Dried Parsley; Dried Chilli Flakes; and the parmesan cheese. These flavours are my own, you can season them with whatever you like. Also add the milky bread mixture and the cooked onion & garlic mixture. Combine well. The mixture will be very wet.

5.       Now to ensure that the meatballs are even in size; use a tablespoon to scoop the meat mixture and roll into balls. I used an ice-cream scoop and this ensured that my balls were a nice medium size.

6.       Place the rolled balls into freezer containers, separating the layers with cling-film. When finished, place the meatballs in the freezer where they can be stored for up to 6 weeks, ready to be used when you fancy them. I was able to make 45 meatballs from my mixture!

7.       These meatballs are versatile and can be cooked in a marinara sauce for spaghetti; or a rich curry sauce to be served with rice. It’s really up to you, and what flavour you desire them to have.

Using three different meats, makes for interesting flavour; as well as maintains the meatballs juiciness. I was pleasantly surprised that my local Pick & Pay did stock Minced Pork and Minced Chicken. I cooked my first batch, this weekend and they were everything I anticipated and expected them to be; - AWESOME! 

Last winter I was all into soups;  so I guess meatballs are my new thing for winter meals in 2013 ...hehehehehehhehe

Happy Cooking!