Similar to arguing with people about how making burger mince in a blender is perfectly fine: "you really DON'T need a grinder", I sometimes have no idea what I'm talking about. Take the humble meatball. I thought using good quality extra lean ground beef was fine on it's own, throw in a couple of seasonings, maybe some breadcrumbs and there you have it. Nice chewy, slightly dry little meatballs. That's OK. Then, I cooked and ate these little gems and realised just how stubborn I was being. These little fluffy mounds were like eating clouds thanks to a careful and considered approach by the creator. You NEED WET BREAD in your meatball. That's right.
I follow many blogs. Food, of course, home decor, lifestyle and art etc. Sometimes one blog stands out which is exactly the case with Half Baked Harvest. If I'm honest, these days only about 30% of her content appeals to me, but the photos, styling and recipes are incredible when it's something I like. Take these meatballs, As well as wet bread, the recipe includes gochujang, (a Korean red pepper and sesame paste), Harissa and pomegranate molasses. An unusual first scan of ingredients, but, it works like a dream. The wet bread provides moisture and softness, the gochujang a hit of spice and earthiness, the harissa a nice warm heat and the pomegranate molasses a nice sour tang. All together the recipe is an excellent meatballs in tomato sauce, albeit with a little extra heat and spiciness, but not in any way exotic or unusual tasting. Just how does she come up with these ideas?
Recipe: Tiegan Gerard of Half Baked Harvest's meatballs
1 lb ground beef
2 slices of white or wholewheat bread
1 egg
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon Gochujang Korean red pepper paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes
2 tablespoons harissa (optional)
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 ounce provolone, shredded
pasta
Preheat the oven to 450oF and lightly oil a baking dish.
Place the beef in a large bowl. Slightly dampen the bread by quickly passing under a running tap until damp but not soaked. Squeeze out excess, break into pieces and add to the beef along with the egg, oregano, cumin, molasses and gochujang, (if using). Mix together well then shape the mixture into about 15 little balls with oiled hands and place into the baking dish.
Bake for 15 minutes until crisping slightly on the outside.
Meanwhile, mix the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, harissa and salt and pepper in a bowl.
After 15 minutes of cooking, pour the tomato mixture over the meatballs, cover with foil and bake for a further 25 minutes.
Finally, remove the foil, add the cheese and cook for another 10 minutes or so..
Serve with your favourite pasta and more cheese sprinkled on top if you like.
You may also like:
Meatballed sausages
Spiced meatballs in curry sauce
Pear and pork pasta
No comments:
Post a Comment