Meatballs with Spiced Tomato Sauce

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Ahhh, meatballs. Comforting little bites of tenderness bathed in a flavorful sauce.  I was really craving something along these lines today, and when I ran across Saveur Magazine’s recipe for Keftedes me Saltsa Domata, my mouth immediately started to water.  I’ve mentioned my affinity for meat, tomatoes, and cinnamon before (it’s practically the holy trinity around here), and this recipe includes all three, as well as nutmeg, oregano, and mint.

I used grass-fed beef and lamb in my version, which I think is the perfect mixture for meatballs. The original recipe called for dried mint, but I much prefer the flavor of fresh. Slice or tear the mint leaves and add them at the last minute so that they retain their lively flavor. The fresh mint will compliment the lamb perfectly.

Meatballs with Spiced Tomato Sauce
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Pickled Collard Greens

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Too often, collard greens get overlooked in the produce department. Their enormous, almost prehistoric looking leaves can be intimidating, not to mention difficult to cram into a produce bag. And do we really know what to do with collards other than to simmer them to a military green pulp? At the risk of typecasting myself, might I suggest that we can pickle that?

Collard greens are actually perfect for pickling because of their tough nature. A warm, spice-spiked vinegar bath is just what these guys need to coax out their tender inner spirit. Serve this delightfully piquant side dish with any type of simple roasted or grilled meat, or atop a bowl of creamy, braised beans.

Pickled Collard Greens
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Pho-kyeah

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I was fortunate enough to date a guy in college whose mother was from Vietnam.  Every winter we would drive down to Los Angeles and stay with his folks and his mom would stay up all night making the most incredible food.

There were Goi Cuon, sometimes called salad rolls, which are cold rice paper wrappers stuffed with crispy lettuce and herbs alongside juicy pork and shrimp. Next, Cha Gio, miniature fried eggrolls stuffed with vegetables and silky rice noodles (we always got a warm bag full of these to-go when we hit the road back to Oregon).  And last but not least, the most perfectly flavored Pho with basil and cilantro piled high onto a rich broth, glossy with just the right amount of fat.

I could eat Pho every single day for the rest of my life, but I happen to live in a neighborhood completely devoid of Vietnamese restaurants. This week, I took on Pho from start to finish, and it was entirely worth the effort. My take on the soup itself is just slightly non-traditional, but this classic broth will work for a number of delicious soups, Vietnamese and otherwise.

Pho-kyeah
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Greek-Style Shrimp with Artichokes

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The most common question I am asked by friends and clients is how I know which flavors go together. There are some very basic rules for pairing flavors in cooking; strong flavors with other strong flavors (lamb, rosemary, and Zinfandel, for example), and mild flavors with other mild flavors (halibut, orange, and Pinot Grigio).  But, as in most of life, these rules are not hard and fast.

So how did I really learn what goes together? Practice. And not just practice from the seventeen years I have been cooking. Equally, if not more important, have been the thirty-some-odd years I have been eating. Food memories stick with me. I don’t know if it is a gift or a glitch, but I remember what I have eaten, and especially what I have loved eating.

Roasted beets with capers and cheese at a potluck, zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic sauteed together on a pizza, chili flakes on slice of ripe melon (thanks, Sarid), a sandwich with just a little bit of good salt on the tomato slice, and, as presented in today’s recipe, shrimp and artichokes.

Greek-Style Shrimp with Artichokes
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Eggplant Involtini

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Here is a relatively simple and very rewarding vegetable-based dinner. Involtini refers to a stuffed and rolled item, classically thinly pounded meat rolled around a savory filling. In this version, I have filled slices of softened eggplant with a stuffing of three cheeses, basil, capers, and lemon zest.

This is a great alternative to manicotti or lasagna if you’re trying to eat more vegetables or avoid gluten or grains. Serve this dish still bubbling straight from the oven and then save the leftovers for a second dinner a few nights later – the second go-round of a dish like this is often even better than the first.

Eggplant Involtini
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The Most Underappreciated Vegetable

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Poor cauliflower. Despite its homely appearance, it is one of the most versatile vegetables. I love it roasted with just a little olive oil and salt, and it makes the most delightful cream soup (especially with a little curry powder or cheese). But cauliflower is not as square as you might think – It’s also amenable to more complex flavors.

This recipe is based on the incredible cauliflower dish at Girl and the Goat, one of my favorite Chicago restaurants.  I’ve simplified Stephanie Izard’s version a bit here, but the basic technique remains. First, get some nice, deep brown caramelization on the cauliflower before fortifying with butter, crispy bread crumbs, and garlic.  Then, add additional ingredients for contrasting flavors and textures.

My recipe includes sumac powder, a tart, deep red spice that is easily found at a Middle Eastern Grocer. If you are on the fence about seeking out a specialty ingredient, know that I promise to use sumac again in a recipe.  It is one of the key ingredients in fattoush, a magnificent tomato, onion, and toasted pita salad that I will be sure to make as soon as the tomatoes have some semblance of tomato-ness again.

The Most Underappreciated Vegetable
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