Reinvent Yourself...in the Kitchen
Family meal is the foundation to a happy and healthy family. Leading studies have shown that a family that eats together at least 5 times a week is more prosperous and happy. When I first started cooking up family meal with kids many years ago, I'll admit, there were times that I was downright bored. I kept finding myself making the same exact dishes, I was uninspired; I wasn't enjoying cooking. So, one night over a meal, I announced I was going to take all of the family's favorite recipes, the ones I found myself cooking up over and over, and reinvent them by adding some kind of special twist. I was also going to start cooking completely new dishes. Not surprisingly the table erupted in cheers. "Thank goodness Mom!" Wow, they were bored too. Cooking completely new meals for 5 people sounds easy, right? Well at first it was easy, but then it got hard. I found myself racking my brain to keep expanding my cooking repertoire: I forced myself to scour the internet in search of new recipes while also reinventing every classic dish I had ever tasted. After several weeks of cooking up new dishes and reinventing favorites, I started feeling real freedom in the kitchen--what's more, I was having fun. I looked forward to cooking and that happiness was infused into the food. Everyone was gobbling up what I was cooking and enjoying family meal together in a way that was new. We weren't just eating together, we were sharing something special. And it all boiled down to me reinventing myself. I was the key to the entire household, the kitchen, the food, everything. I couldn't be lazy. I had to take everything seriously and relish what I was doing. Once I figured that out, family meal and life has been a whole heck of a lot tastier.
A Fun Meal to Reinvent
Meatballs are perfect candidate for reinvention because you really can give a meatball its own personality by doing something simple, such as adding different seasonings or mincing toasted pinenuts and marinated olives or doing something complex like stuffing it with mozzarella cheese. As long as you stick to the basic recipe, you can add delicious variations to make your meatballs even more memorable for family and friends. And for you, most importantly, it will make it a lot more fun and adventurous.
Basic Meatball Recipe
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
(preferably from an Italian store)
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1 large egg, beaten
1 fresh garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
pinch Italian Seasoning
2 tablespoons finely chopped
fresh parsley
3/4 cup freshly grated
Parmesan cheese, plus more for the table
Add that something special (cubed mozzarella for stuffing, 1/2 cup chopped caramelized onions, 1/4 cup minced toasted pinenuts and marinated olives, or whatever you can dream up)
1/2 pound ground beef (80/20)
1/2 pound ground pork
olive oil to spray or fry
meatballs
Place the breadcrumbs in a
small bowl and cover it with the chicken broth. Let it sit until the
breadcrumbs have soaked up the liquid. Transfer the breadcrumbs into a large
bowl squeezing out any excess chicken broth. Discard the extra chicken broth.
In the large bowl combine the egg, garlic, salt, parsley, cheese, and that something special if you want to reinvent this dish, and mix until
well combined. Add in the beef and combine again until the mixture is well
blended but not overblended. Form into 1.5 to 2 oz meatballs. To Fry, add enough olive oil
to generously coat a large skillet and fry the meatballs on medium heat until
golden brown. To Bake, preheat the oven to
375F and place the meatballs on a sheet plan. Spray or brush with olive oil and
bake for approximately 15 minutes. Place the cooked meatballs in sauce and let them steep for 20 minutes before serving.
Labels: american classics, cheese, Comfort Food, Easy Recipes, Family Meal, home made, italian food, Sicilian family recipes
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