To Fry or Not to Fry

OK.  So I was teaching my cousin Christina Bella how to make meatballs.  She asked me do we fry or do we bake.  Because of the time involved in frying and the mess it can make, I told her we would bake.  Baking is so much easier. It is probably healthier because no fat is used in the pan.  I have even used cookie and cake racks in the baking sheets to allow the fat to drip down in the pan and separate it from the meatballs.  It is no doubt faster, because you can bake all the meatballs at one time and walk away from the oven while they are baking.  HOWEVER, are they better than if they are fried?  I guess I am going to have to confess that they are NOT.  Sorry all. But fried are better.  Frying allows the outside to 'sear' and make a harder shell and keeps all the flavors inside the meatball.  I can remember the Sunday morning rituals my Auntie Ang and my mother would go through to make Sunday "Gravy" and frying the meatballs was one of them.  I can still smell the aroma from their kitchens on Sunday mornings from the frying of the meatballs.  And, of course, not all of the meatballs made it into the 'gravy'.  And not all the meatballs that were put in the 'gravy' made it to the table.

Now the next question is when do you put the meatballs in the 'gravy'.  This is entirely up to the cook.  My mom preferred to place the meatballs in the 'gravy' as soon as they were cooked.  I preferred to put them in about 1/2 hour before being served. My mom and argued about this and the solution with which we came up was simply whoever made the 'gravy' put the meatballs in whenever he/she wanted.  Simple! Easy! Argument over!  Following is the recipe my mom used and I am sharing it with you.

ITALIAN MEATBALLS

1 lbs. lean ground beef, ground chuck or ground round

or ½ lbs. beef and ½ lbs. ground pork

1 egg

1 cup of breadcrumbs

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup of fresh parsley

1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon of dried oregano,

Salt and pepper to taste

NOTE:  This recipe yields about 12 meatballs.  The ingredients can be doubled to yield 24 without changing the quality of the recipe.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1.  In a large bowl, mix beef, egg and bread crumbs

2.  Add parsley, cheese, olive oil and seasonings and mix together.

3.  Take a small handful of mixture the size of a golf ball and roll between the      palms of your hands.

4. Place meatballs in baking pan and bake in oven 20 to 25 minutes.

5. If frying the meatballs, add ¼ cup of corn or vegetable oil to cast iron skillet.

6. Heat oil on medium high heat until tiny bubbles appear or oil begins to smoke.  Turn down heat to medium.

7. Add as many meatballs as skillet will hold.  Fry for about 2 minutes, turn and fry and additional 2 minutes, making sure the entire meatball has been seared.

8. Fry additional 10 minutes, turning the meatballs constantly to insure it is cooked thoroughly through. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on cookie/cake rack.

9. Repeat until all the meatballs are done.

Pumpkin Ravioli?

Are you kidding me?  Pumpkin Ravioli?  No such thing.  Ravioli is made with ricotta cheese and red "gravy".  But actually there is a recipe for Pumpkin Ravioli.  I was teaching a course in Fresh Pasta and wanted to try something different so I reseach the net and found this one. 

ENJOY

PUMPKIN RAVIOLI

Pasta Dough

2 cups of flour

1 large egg

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoon canned pumpkin

½ teaspoon salt

On a large flat surface, place flour and make a well.  Add egg and mix thoroughly. Add oil and pumpkin and salt and kneed for at least 5 minutes.  If dough is too dry, add a few drops of water and kneed until smooth and elastic.

If you have a food processor, place flour and egg in container.  Pulse a few times.  Add oil and pumpkin and salt and process until dough is mixed and falls away from sides.  Add a few drops of water at a time, if needed.  Remove dough and kneed a two minutes on flat floured surface.

Place dough in oiled bowl and cover.

Filling

1 cup of canned pumpkin

1 large egg

½ cup of Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon of nutmeg or all spice

½ cup of crushed amaretto cookies (This is a hazel nut cookie you can find in many specialty stores or Italian delis)  If unable to find, trying using bread crumbs and add another ½ teaspoon of nutmeg)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

Roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thickness.  Spoon a mound (2 tablespoons) on dough at one-inch intervals.  Fold dough over and with your fingers, seal dough around filling.  Cut in one long strip away from dough and then cut into individual ravioli.  Crimp all sides of the ravioli and set on floured cookie sheet until all ravioli are formed.

Drop each ravioli in a large pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes.

Serve immediately with a light cream sauce.  (See Creamy Sage Sauce)

BUTTER SAGE SAUCE

Ingredients

6 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of chopped sage

1 cup of heavy cream

¼ cup of Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in large skillet and add chopped sage.  Slowly whisk in cream. If you want a lighter sauce, use only ½ cup of cream.  Remove from heat and add Parmesan cheese.

A little goes a long way, so use sparingly on your hot pasta.

My First Adventures in Cooking

I was brought up Roman Catholic and all our Fridays were meatless.   I was a very picky eater and did like fish so cooking for me on Fridays was a chore for my mom.  She tried everything; fish sticks, tuna salad, lentils, pasta fagioli, salmon patties.  This list was endless and my poor mom tried everything to get me to eat healthy on Fridays.  Mustard sandwiches for dinner was not hacking it for her.

I don't know when it started or how she did it, but my mom "invented" Spaghetti and Tuna Fish.  It was Macaroni.   I doubt very much if she told me that there was tuna in this dish.  I think for several weeks she just served without telling me what was in it.

At some point I did find out what was it in. But by that time it was too late.  I actually loved it. It became my one and only dish I would eat on Fridays.  I think my mom was shocked that I actually liked it.  I am sure she didn't mind making it a Friday staple.

She went back to work full time when I was about 13 years old.  I was home by 3 every afternoon and on Friday's I did the cooking.  Spaghetti with Tuna became the first meal I cooked entirely on my own.

Here it is!! Enjoy

            SPAGHETTI WITH TUNA

2 cloves garlic

4 tablespoons of olive oil

2-6 ounce cans of tomato sauce

2-6 ounce cans of tomato paste

3 cups water

1 can tuna

1 lb. spaghetti

Oregano

Basil

Pepper

Garlic powder, optional

1.  In a large cold saucepan, add garlic and olive oil and Sauté until golden brown.  Do not overcook.

2.  Add tomato paste and tomato sauce.

3.  Add three cups of water.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.

4.  Add seasonings to taste.  If you like garlic add garlic powder to the sauce.

5.  Let simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hour or to the consistency you like.

6.  Fifteen minutes before serving add tuna to the sauce.  I prefer the chunky type but any kind will do.

7.  Boil spaghetti while the sauce is simmering and cook to until al dente.

Serve with fresh garden salad and garlic bread, if you like.  Serves 4-6.