After my recent visit to New York City, number one, I couldn’t wait to get into my kitchen and start cooking, and two, I couldn’t wait to go back. I arrived home armed and dangerous with new cookbooks from a few of the restaurants in which our encounters were beyond memorable. When you can’t stop thinking about a meal, that’s a very good thing!
These experiences were like a shot of adrenaline – so inspiring. There’s no better feeling than putting a delicious meal on the table, and getting the instant gratification of filling your cup, and that of those you love…especially when the recipes are from exciting cookbooks like these!
Over the next few posts, I will be sharing my “New York state of mind”, and how that translates to our table. This week features a hearty meatball appetizer from Emily in Brooklyn. Or, make this a meal by adding a baguette to mop up the sauce. With no two bites the same, the briny, buttery salad from Altro Paradiso, is arguably the best I have ever had. I finished with a creamy pasta from the mecca of comfort food Jack’s Wife Freda. Think of this as a grown-up mac and cheese with a little bit of heat.
As this posts, I’m happily back in the city with Tess, and we’re ready to continue to unpeel the onion that is New York City. Check in next week, for an update on our newest culinary discoveries, and the recipes that resulted.
Talk soon.
Shaved Fennel Salad with Green Olives and Provolone
Ingredients
- 2 large fennel bulbs, tough outer leaves discarded, bulbs, stems, and fronds separated
- 1 cup Castelvetrano olives
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Chardonnay or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon
- 3 ounces thinly shaved aged provolone cheese (about 1 cup)
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Slice fennel stems crosswise (not too thin) and place in a medium bowl. Coarsely chop fennel fronds (you want about ⅓ cup) and add to bowl. Crush olives with a flat-bottomed cup or side of a chef’s knife and remove pit. Coarsely chop olives (you want big, chunky pieces). Add olives, oil, vinegar, orange zest, and red pepper to bowl; season with kosher salt and black pepper, then toss to coat.
- Halve fennel bulbs lengthwise. Using a mandoline, shave fennel crosswise (you can use a knife, but you want the slices to be no thicker than ⅛"). Transfer fennel to a large bowl. Zest one-quarter of lemon over. Halve lemon and squeeze in juice from both halves; season with kosher salt and toss to coat. Taste and adjust with more lemon juice, if needed.
- Divide olive mixture among plates. Top with cheese to just cover olives. Arrange shaved fennel over so olive mixture is covered, then season with flaky sea salt.
Beef Meatballs with Ricotta and Basil
Ingredients
Meatballs
- Canola oil, for the broiler pan (we used a baking sheet)
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
- 2 cups dried plain bread crumbs, or gluten free
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce, preferably Three Crabs
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino Romano
- 3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Red Sauce
- 3 tablespoons garlic oil *recipe below
- 2/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 6 cloves garlic confit, chopped *recipe below
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 28 ounce can, crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Kosher salt
Garlic Confit and Garlic oil
- 2 large, firm heads of garlic
- 1 cup canola oil
Instructions
Meatballs
- To make the meatballs: Lightly oil a broiler pan. Crumble the ground beef into a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, eggs, parsley, milk, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Romano, garlic, and pepper. Using your hands, mix well, but do not compact the mixture or the meatballs will be tough. Using about 3 tablespoons per meatball, shape into 24 equal balls and transfer to the prepared broiler pan.
- Position the broiler rack about 6 inches away from the heat source and preheat the broiler in high.
- Broil the meatballs, turning once or twice, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. If the meatballs are browning too quickly, move them farther away from the heat source.
- For each serving, place 3 meatballs in a flameproof bowl or single serving skillet. Top with a spoonful of red sauce, and add a generous dollop of ricotta. Return to the broiler and heat until the ricotta melts, about 30 seconds. top each with a fresh basil leaf, drizzle with oil and serve.
Red Sauce
- Heat the garlic oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is translucent but not browned, about 3 minutes.Stir in the garlic confit and pour in the wine.Increase the heat to high and boil until the wine is reduced by half, 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let cool. Puree the mixture in a blender. Add the tomatoes and oregano and pulse just to combine.Season to taste with salt. (The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)
Garlic Confit and Garlic Oil
- Using a sharp knife, peel each garlic clove, keeping it intact-do not smash thew garlic to loosen the peel.
- Put the garlic in a large saucepan and add enough oil to cover it by about 1/2 inch. Heat over medium heat just until tiny bubbles start to form around the garlic cloves.Reduce the heat to very low. Cook, uncovered, without stirring, just until the garlic turns a darker shade of beige and is tender, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and let the garlic cool in the oil for 1-2 hours.
- Using a wire spider of a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the garlic to a lidded container. Pour enough of oil over the garlic to cover the cloves, reserving the remaining oil for another use. Strain the garlic oil through a fine-mesh wire sieve into another lidded container. Cover the confit and oil and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
Jalapeno and Gruyere Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 jalapeno chilies
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 box orecchiete
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups shredded gruyere
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
Instructions
- Slice the jalapenos across into thin rounds and finely mince the garlic. Set them aside. Bring 5 quarts water —salted to taste like the ocean!—to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 9 minutes. Before straining, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
- In the same pot used for cooking the pasta, combine the olive oil, garlic and jalapenos. Cook over medium-low heat until the garlic begins to toast and the jalapenos soften. Add the white wine and butter. Once the butter has melted, return the pasta to the pot and stir. Add the shredded Gruyere cheese and reserved pasta water, a little at a time, until all the cheese has melted and the pasta appears creamy. Note: You may not use all of the reserved pasta water. Serve immediately with thinly sliced, fresh jalapenos on top if desired.
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