Marvelous Meatballs!

Ah, the struggle perpetuates.  The search for the convenient weeknight meal that all 4 of us will enjoy spans on some kind of infinite road to the skyline!

So, this was not a complete home run for all 4 of us.  The 2 grown ups liked these meatballs, and the 2 little ones ate them without complaint...I think they gave them an 8.5 out of 10.  These days, I consider that a victory.

I like this concept because it provides a template for numerous possibilities.  You could do ground lamb with dried apricot.  You could do ground turkey with dried apples.  Basically, you are taking some kind of ground meat and pairing it with a dried fruit that's been chopped up.  Feel free to add chopped fresh or dried herbs as well!

Marvelous Pork Meatballs with Dried Pineapple

1 lb ground pork
1/4 cup dried pinapple, chopped
handful of minced green onion or 2 shakes onion powder
splash soy sauce


1.  Get the broiler ready.  Prepare a broiler-safe baking tray with foil.  Mix all ingredients in a bowl and make about 20 meatballs, placing them on the baking tray.

2.  Broil the meatballs for about 8 minutes until done.  Serve with fresh vegetables, pita or tortilla, yogurt, and fresh herbs.

Byron - The Sequel at Old Brompton Road, London

It was very naive of me to think that I could partake in a euphoric Burger Experience all by myself without any consequences.  My family insisted on trying Byron out for themselves, so we skipped over to the Old Brompton Rd. one which is conveniently located to those great South Kensington museums like the Natural History Museum or the Victoria & Albert. 

Major Obvious had the Byron Burger complete with homemade special Byron sauce and bacon.  Little Man tried the Macaroni & Cheese while Sweet Pea had the Mini Cheeseburgers (both children's meals came with generous helpings of fries).  Everyone loved the Courgette Fries.  To cap everything off, we also ordered a chocolate milkshake with malt.  The shake came served in the tin canister, large and in charge.  Super chocolate-y, super decadent.  We had 2 servers and both were extremely friendly.  When they asked, "How is everything?" Sweet Pea responded (pointing to the shake canister), "This is YUMMY!"  Our server responded with eyes lit up, "I KNOW!  You know what's even better?  OREO."  Well, we had to leave something to look forward to next time! 

Byron - A Tasty Burger in London

The quest for the perfect burger in the UK poses a fun challenge.  Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant chain gives you a fine one, but unfortunately, the burger changes.  Sometimes it's Italian-inspired, other times it's more American.  The quality of ingredients is always high, but often the flavor isn't exactly what I'm seeking at that moment.

Byron, the London chain that has multiple locations, offers a consistent burger that thankfully pushes all my buttons.  It's like someone picked into my brain and came up with 3 characteristics that I most love about hamburgers, putting them all together.  From the American school of burger-making, the meat is not manhandled too much into a dense hockey puck.  The sandwich takes advantage of its British roots and comes with a sharp, tangy mature cheddar cheese.  And the coup de gras is that the burger is charred on the outside, pink all the way through and even a little bit raw in the middle, which the French embrace.

Now, not everyone would want mature cheddar or a rare, bloody hamburger.  Byron thoughtfully allows you to specify how well-done you'd like the meat and allows you to choose from a variety of cheeses that include Monterey Jack and American.  You can also get bacon, portobello mushrooms and avocado.  You can choose the condiments.  A default burger comes with iceberg lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a bit of mayonnaise.  There are a million choices to be made, which I think also comes from the American school of dining.

But wait!  Your choices aren't over yet!  What sides do you want?  You can have french fries, special skin-on chips, courgette fries (gorgeously straddling the line between tempura and beer-battered), and macaroni and cheese.  There's also milkshakes and fun American-inspired desserts like cheesecake, brownies or a sundae (which the Brits insist on calling Knickerbocker Glory). 

When it comes to describing this marvelous culinary treat, I think Homer Simpson says it best, "Mmmm.....burger."

A Love Affair With Neil, The Local Butcher

My friend, Bacon, (so-called because he is convinced that "Bacon is a Vegetable,") may be having an affair with the local butcher.  Every other day, Bacon will call me and say something like, "Neil gave me 20 chicken wings," or "I gave Neil some chipotles in adobo," or "Neil wants me to come over and watch a rugby match,"or perhaps, "I took some chili over to Neil."

I think it takes an intimate relationship with a butcher to make sense of British cuts of meat, as they are often not the same as American ones.  A British butcher does not know what the heck you are talking about if you march in and ask for some short ribs or tri-tip.  So, I think Bacon is onto something here.  Especially since one day, Bacon called to announce, "Neil gave me a ton of those Jacob's Ladders.  You should take some."  (Jacob's Ladder, incidentally, is a rack of Short Ribs.  We finally figured that out, after getting various cuts from the cow.  I even once tried to explain to Neil which ribs I wanted, demonstrating on my own body.  It was slightly embarrassing to stand in the middle of a local butcher shop and have 3 butchers in bloody aprons watching me point to my own torso over and over again.  And even more annoying to come home with the wrong cut, revealing that perhaps I stink at Butcher Charades.)

Bacon's wife, Dr. Tex, doesn't seem to mind.  After all, she gets to eat lots of tasty meals (although she's not as into meat as her husband.  Few are.)  So now that Bacon and I have all of these short ribs, the challenge is finding the recipes that best showcase this lovely, inexpensive cut of meat.  It's a good value, even for those of you who aren't in love with your local butcher!

Penne With Short Ribs, by Giada DeLaurentiis

Ingredients

• 4 pounds beef short ribs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 5 Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths
• 1 cup red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon (or 1 cup chicken or beef broth, see Note below)
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or ovenproof stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the ribs and brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the ribs to the pan. Add the beef broth, cover the pan and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is fork-tender and falls easily from the bone.

Remove the ribs from the cooking liquid. Using a large spoon, remove any excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Using a ladle, transfer the cooking liquid in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces. Stir the shredded meat into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the sauce and add to the pasta. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the pasta. Toss well and thin out the pasta with more sauce, if needed. Sprinkle the pasta with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley before serving.

Note:  I substituted 1 cup of chicken broth for the 1 cup of wine because I didn't think my kids would like the flavor of the wine.  The substitution worked out fine, although it meant that the acid level of the braising sauce wasn't that high, which meant that the ribs didn't break down as much as they otherwise would.  To shred the meat, I had to take it off in big chunks with two forks, then chop it up really small with a chef's knife.  The meat chopped up very easily because it was still pretty tender.  Then, I stirred the chopped meat back into the sauce and let it sit for a couple of minutes so that the meat would absorb the sauce.  After that, I put in the pasta, tossed to combine, and topped with the parsley and cheese.  

Shepherd's Pie

largely influenced by Michael Chiarello's recipe


I love Michael Chiarello's idea of adding cinnamon to this traditional UK favorite.  While it might seem strange to follow the advice of a Napa Valley chef of Italian descent when preparing a British meal, bear in mind that great ideas often spring from odd places.  The warm spice gives such a special flavor to the dish.  I made this today because it's officially fall now.  The leaves are bright red outside, the air is chilly, and everyone is using their wood-burning fireplaces.






Filling:
1 T olive oil
1 lb minced beef, lamb or turkey (450 g)
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 carrots, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1 T fresh thyme leaves
1/2 t ground cinnamon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Crust:
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (1 kg East Anglian Charlotte potatoes)
2 T butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1-2 scallions, chopped
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar (medium or mature)
splash of chicken broth, water or milk


Preheat oven to 400F (200C).


If you have a 5-quart ovenproof Dutch oven, this is the time to use it!  You can make the dish on the stovetop and finish it off in the oven.  If you don't have one, don't worry.  Use a regular Dutch oven and keep a 9x13 pan ready.


Saute for a few minutes, then add carrots, celery and meat.  Add thyme and cinnamon, saute for about 8-10 minutes, until the meat is cooked through.  Add salt and pepper.  Take Dutch oven off the heat.


Peel the potatoes, cut them into large pieces and place them into a pot of cold, salted water.  Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are tender (about 10 minutes).  The potatoes are ready when a knife easily goes through them. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot.  Cover the pot with a clean tea towel to absorb the steam.  Leave the potatoes alone for 5 minutes during this time.  Then, add the butter and mash the potatoes.  Use a splash of chicken broth, milk or water if you need a little help bringing the mashed potatoes together.


If you have an oven-proof Dutch oven, just spoon the potatoes on top of the meat mixture.  If not, transfer the meat mixture into the 9x13 pan.  Spread the mashed potatoes evenly all over the meat mixture.  Sprinkle the scallions on top of the potatoes.  Bake for 30 minutes, then turn off the oven.  
Sprinkle cheese on top and leave in the warm oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and gooey.  If you like a golden brown crust, put the dish under the broiler for a couple of minutes.


Serves 6.