Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground pork

1/2 c. bread crumbs

2 large egg yolks

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

kosher salt

1/2 white onion, chopped or a dash of onion powder

Dash of garlic powder 

1/4 c vegetable oil

4 tbsp. butter, divided

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

3 1/4 c. low-sodium beef broth

1/2 shot glass white cooking wine

1/4 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. freshly chopped parlsey

Freshly ground black pepper

Cooked pappardelle, rice or egg noodles

Directions 

1. Pre-heat oven at 350° F. Read instructions on package of pappardelle, rice or egg noodles.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together ground beef, pork, bread crumbs, egg yolks, onion, garlic, allspice, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and 1/4 c beef broth. Form mixture into small meatballs.

2. Pre-heat pan over medium heat. Add vegetable oil for 20 minutes. Add meatballs and brown until golden, 3 minutes per side, then transfer to a steamer to drain fat in skillet or dripping pan in the oven. Set timer to 20 minutes.

3. Make gravy: Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in skillet. Whisk in flour until golden for 2 minutes, then add 3 c. beef broth, olive oil and whisk until no clumps remain. Bring to a simmer and let thicken for 2 minutes.

4. Add heavy cream, white cooking wine and parsley and return meatballs to skillet. Spoon gravy over meatballs and let simmer in sauce for 5 or 6 minutes more. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

5. Serve over pappardelle, rice or egg noodles. You may compliment the dish with other vegetables (asparagus, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes), herbs (basil) or mushrooms. 

Sweet potato with marshmallows

Preparation 5 Min

Total Cook time  35 Min

Serves 8

By Pillsbury Kitchens, Sep 29, 2023

Ingredients 

3 cans (15-oz each) sweet potatoes, drained

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

15 large marshmallows

Directions 

• Just pierce your sweet potatoes with a fork and cook them in the microwave for 8 to 12 minutes, turning them over once halfway through the cooking time.
  
• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12" x 8" (2-quart) glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place sweet potatoes in sprayed baking dish. Pour butter over potatoes. Sprinkle with brown sugar and salt. Top with marshmallows.
• Bake at 350°F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are thoroughly heated and marshmallows are lightly browned.
  
• If the marshmallows start browning too quickly, loosely cover the baking dish with foil for last 10 minutes of baking time. The shiny nature of foil deflects the heat, slowing down the overall browning of ingredients that are high in sugar or fat.
  

240 Calories, 6g Total Fat, 1g Protein, 44g Total Carbohydrate, 20g Sugars

Char siu (叉烧) Pork

Char siu (叉烧) is a type of Cantonese roast meat.

Ingredients:

¼ cup granulated white sugar

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon five spice powder

¼ teaspoon white pepper

½ teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons molasses

1/8 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)

3 cloves finely minced garlic

2 tablespoons maltose or honey

1 tablespoon hot water

Directions:

Cut the pork into long strips or chunks about 2 to 3 inches thick. Don’t trim any excess fat, as it will render off and add flavor.

In a medium bowl combine the sugar, salt, Chinese five spice powder, white pepper, sesame oil, wine, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, molasses, food coloring (if using), and garlic in a bowl to make the marinade (i.e. the BBQ sauce).

Reserve about 2 tablespoons of marinade and set it aside. Rub the pork with the rest of the marinade in a large bowl or baking dish.

Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours. Cover and store the reserved marinade in the fridge as well.

Meanwhile, combine the reserved marinade with the maltose (is a very viscous form of sugar that you can heat up in the microwave to make it easier to work with) or honey along with 1 tablespoon hot water. This will be used for basting the pork.

Preheat your oven to 475°F (246°C) with the top third rack of the oven. Check the char siu every 10 minutes, reducing or increasing the temperature as needed.

Place the pork on the rack, leaving as much space as possible between pieces. Pour 1 ½ cups water into the pan below the rack. This prevents any drippings from burning or smoking.

Roast the pork for 25 minutes, keeping the oven setting at 475°F for the first 10 minutes of roasting, and then reduce your oven temperature to 375°F (190°C).

After 25 minutes, flip the pork. If the bottom of the pan is dry, add another cup of water. Turn the pan 180 degrees to ensure even roasting. Roast another 15 minutes. Throughout the roasting time, check your char siu often (every 10 minutes) and reduce the oven temperature if it looks like it is burning!

Meanwhile, combine the reserved marinade with the maltose or honey (maltose is very viscous––you can heat it up in the microwave to make it easier to work with) and 1 tablespoon hot water. This will be the sauce you’ll use for basting the pork.

After 40 minutes of total roasting time, baste the pork, flip it, and baste the other side as well. Roast for a final 10 minutes.

By now, the pork has cooked for 50 minutes total. It should be cooked through and caramelized on top. If it’s not caramelized to your liking, you can turn the broiler on for a couple minutes to crisp the outside and add some color/flavor. Be sure not to walk away during this process, since the sweet char siu BBQ sauce can burn if left unattended. You can also use a meat thermometer to check if the internal temperature of the pork has reached 160 degrees F. (Update: USDA recommends that pork should be cooked to 145 degrees F with a 3 minute resting time)

Remove from the oven and baste with the last bit of reserved BBQ sauce. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing, and enjoy!

Classic Shrimp Scampi

Excerpt from Melissa Clark

INGREDIENTS

Yield:

4 servings

2tablespoons butter

2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4garlic cloves, minced

½cup dry white wine or broth

¾teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

⅛teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

1¾pounds large or extra-large shrimp, shelled

⅓cup chopped parsley

Freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon

Cooked pasta or crusty bread

Directions:

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9101-classic-shrimp-scampi