Turkey Swedish Meatballs

I am a sucker for Béchamel cream sauce and love Swedish meatballs or a good stroganoff. Turkey is a great meat for a meatballs - it holds together better than ground chicken and has more flavor, while helping reduce saturated fat into the diet. But get a good brand that is not too infused with water. Part of a good balanced diet, I am guessing.

Dill and crushed red pepper flakes make great flavor counter note punctuations for the smooth rich white sauce backdrop.

Meatball mix:

1/2 sweet yellow onion, grated (about 1/2-3/4 cup)

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup Panko crumbs

1 Tbsp favorite hot sauce

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 tsp herbs de Provence, or Italian herbs

1 clove garlic, minced through a press

palmful fresh parsley leaves, finely minced

1 lb ground turkey

Bechamel sauce:

1/4 cup flour

2 Tbsp butter plus 2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups milk

1 tsp dried dill weed

1 can mushroom pieces

8 oz rigatoni pasta

Preheat oven to 400F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Season water generously with salt.

Mix the meatball ingredients together with clean hands, gently in a large bowl. Do not over-mix, as this can lead to dense, tough meatballs. Form into about two dozen meatballs, about 1-inch in diameter. Place meatballs on an oiled, rimmed roasting pan.

Roast meatballs until browned well, about 20 minutes. If desired, flip meatballs halfway through.

Meanwhile prepare Béchamel sauce. Sauté the flour in the butter-oil mixture until fragrant, about 3 minutes, whisking almost continuously. Add the milk and undrained mushrooms, and bring to a gentle boil, stirring often. The sauce should thicken as it comes to a boil. Add the dill and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta. Add the meatballs to the sauce and gently stir to mix and heat through. Adjust the sauce thickness with the pasta water if necessary, so that you have a nice glossy sauce for the meatballs.

Plate the pasta among 4-6 bowls. Distribute the meatballs and sauce among the bowls. Garnish with crushed red pepper flakes and parsley.

Serves 4-6.

Comments

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375F.

Scrambled Benedict

This is the ultimate Sunday brunch item. Don't be intimidated about making a Hollandaise sauce - it is so much easier and quicker than you may think. And it is oh, so luscious over eggs. You can poach your eggs or fry them; whatever you prefer. My favorite is poached, but others in the family like scrambled better, so I scrambled. Happy brunching. Hollandaise Sauce: 2 egg yokes, in a small bowl 1/2 cup butter, just melted in microwave 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1/4 tsp salt ~1 Tbsp lukewarm water 2 English muffins 2 remaining egg whites 3 eggs 1 Tbsp cream dash dried dill Set up a double boiler (I use a medium pot with a metal bowl on top), and bring 2 cups water to the boil. Reduce heat to low. In the yet unheated double boiler top bowl, whisk together the butter, lemon juice, mustard and salt. Warm over double boiler. Whisk the egg yokes together. Slowly whisk the yokes into the warmed butter mixture, drizzling the yokes in slowly. Whisk continuously. If the

Coconut Rice Noodles with Eggplant

Noodle bowls are always a welcome dish for a wholesome dinner meal after an outing like grooming roses with your Park friends. Or whatever you've been doing in the afternoon. This will satisfy an appetite after a good day's work, with hearty eggplant, satisfying noodles and a cozy broth of coconut and tomatoes. Garnish with basil or mint. 1/2 lb dried wide rice noodles 2 Tbsp olive oil plus 2 Tbsp salted butter 1 medium onion, sliced kernels from 1 fresh corn stalk, or 1/2 cup frozen 3/4 lb eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups) 2 cloves garlic, minced 3/4-inch fresh ginger, minced 1 tsp favorite curry powder 1 can whole coconut milk (I used Trader Joe’s) 2 cups chicken (or veggie broth) - I used home-made stock 1 dozen grape tomatoes, halved Set a medium pot of water to boil for the noodles. Simmer according to package directions until just before cooked. Meanwhile, melt the butter in the olive oil in a wide skillet. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes on

Cuisine Eric

Search This Blog