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Catalonian Meatballs

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Catalonian meatballs is a sumptuous comfort food that can be served as an appetizer or main dish. The olives and ham make the dish tastier by adding more flavors, while the cayenne pepper gives it a hint of spice. For this recipe we simmered the meatballs in the sauce, but you can also bake it in the oven.

 

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork

6 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

1 large egg, beaten

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 ground black pepper

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

1/4 cup olive oil

2 strips bacon, cut into half inch pieces

For the sauce:

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups water

1 cup pitted green olives

2 ounces cured ham, finely chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/16 teaspoon ground cayenne

1 tablespoon chopped, fresh parsley

 

Combine the ground beef, ground pork, garlic, egg and breadcrumbs. Season it with salt and pepper in a large bowl. With your hands or using a spoon, form meatballs around 1 inch in diameter.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the bacon for 3-5 minutes or until crisp. Transfer them to a plat lined with paper towels or in a colander to drain the excess oil.

Next, fry the meatballs in batches for 4-6minutes each or until they are browned. Place the cooked meatballs in a heavy pot or Dutch oven.

Using the same skillet, prepare the sauce by sautéing the chopped onions for 5minutes or until they are soft and translucent. Add the flour and stir it for a minute. Slowly pour the water over the flour and onion mixture. Mix well.

Place the bacon, olives, ham, tomato paste, ground cayenne and cinnamon in the skillet. Cook it for 1 minute or until it is heated through. Pour the sauce over the meatballs in the Dutch oven. Cover and let it simmer for 30 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked. Transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle with parsley before serving. Serve immediately.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:  slgckgc

 

Cassoulet

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Beans are great for dips and stews. Not everyone appreciates them, because it takes a while to prepare them. I am a big fan despite this. We make sure that we soak the beans and cook them in a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time in half.

Cassoulet is a slow cooked bean stew with meat that originated in France. It was named after a pot called cassole. There is no specific type of meat used for this dish. You may use leftovers or even duck if you wish.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup dried cannellini beans

2 teaspoons olive oil

500g pork belly, cut into 2cm pieces

2 garlic sausages, sliced

2 chicken or breast fillets

2 brown onions, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 sprig thyme

1 sprig rosemary

4 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

4 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

1 small stick of butter, melted

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

 

Soak beans in cold water overnight.

Preheat oven to 280F.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pan  or cassoulet over medium heat. Fry the pork in batches for 8-10 minutes or until they are golden brown. Transfer to a large bowl.

In the same pan, cook the sausages for 5 minutes or until it is browned. Remove from the pan and place in the same bowl where the pork is.

After, fry the chicken or duck fillets for 4-5 minutes on each side or until it is light brown. Drain excess oil and transfer to the bowl with the pork and sausages.

Sauté the garlic and onion in the same pan for 3-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Add the pork, sausages, duck, tomatoes, rosemary and thyme. Drain the beans and add it to the saucepan. Pour in the stock. Bring to a boil.

Remove the pan from heat and bake it covered for 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are soft. After remove the duck or chicken fillets and cut them into bite size pieces. Return them to the pan.

Combine the melted butter and bread crumbs in a bowl. Mix well. Sprinkle it over the cassoulet. Bake it for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.

 

Photo Courtesy Of: skampy

 

Quiche Lorraine

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Quiche is an oven baked dish made with eggs, milk and sometimes cream placed in a pastry shell. There are some versions with vegetables and other meats. It is similar to an omelette, but it looks like a pie. The bacon makes this dish tasty, although I would like to add sliced potatoes in it.

Ingredients:

1 layer pastry dough

4 slices bacon

1 medium onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 eggs

1 cup half and half

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 375F.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and fry the bacon until it is crispy. Drain the excess oil with paper towels and crumble the bacon. Set aside.

In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add the half and half, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Place the pastry in a deep dish baking pan, place the bacon and chopped onions at the bottom of the pastry. Pour the egg mixture into the pastry and top with shredded cheese.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until the eggs set and the cheese is lightly browned. Let it stand.

Slice and serve warm with salad.

Photo Courtesy Of: _Nezemnaya_