Tag: gravy

Basic Spaghetti & Meatballs

done1

It’s not often that you can find a meal that is as great as a Sunday dinner as it is a week night meal, but Spaghetti and Meatballs fits that bill.  We are talking REAL Spaghetti and Meatballs, the kind where you actually roll the meatballs with your own two hands.

I must make this dish a dozen different ways, but this is a nice basic recipe.  If you like to add parmesan to yours, feel free, if you like to add anchovies, go for it… But, this recipe is simple, not too complicated and because the meatballs are slowly simmered in the sauce instead of baked or pan-fried, they are nice and tender and help to flavor the sauce at the same time.

This sauce and these meatballs are also great when you make a big batch and freeze them!  So, put in the effort on a Sunday afternoon, have it for dinner, freeze the rest and a week later, you have a great Wednesday night meal!  Just boil up some more pasta and you are good to go!

Start with ground beef.

Grab some parsley.

Add in some bread crumbs.

Then some Worcestershire sauce.

Add basil and half and half to moisten the bread crumbs.

Saute some onions.

Add in an egg as a binder.

If you wet your hand, it’s easier to form the meatballs.

Make golf ball size balls.

Get them ready for the sauce.

In a large pan start with olive oil.

Saute some onions.

Add in some garlic when your onions are soft.

Next add in som San Marzano whole tomatoes. You really want the whole tomatoes here, because you know they aren’t just giving you left over scraps, these are good.

Add into your pot with your onions.

Take a potato masher gently to the tomatoes. If you go crazy here, you will be wearing tomatoes, so easy does it.

Get them good and mashed.

Now add in some tomato paste.

You need to give it time to melt in.

Mix it in well.

Add some Worcestershire sauce here as well.

Now a palm full of Italian seasoning mix.

Mix.

Gently drop meatballs in.

Make sure they are all nestled in well.

Get some sauce over top of them.

Cover and simmer on low.

Add in some parsley.

Stir it in.

Cook your pasta to package instructions for aldente pasta and drain.  I am using Barilla’s Spaghetti Rigati because it has ridges that help to hold on to the sauce!

Ladle in a ladle or two of sauce to coat pasta, do not over sauce!


done2

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 lb. Spaghetti Rigati (or your favorite cut of pasta), cooked aldente to package instructions

Meatballs:

2 lbs. ground beef

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 onion, small diced and sautéed until tender

1/2 cup half and half or whole milk

1 egg

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup basil, chopped

2 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. Italian seasoning mix (optional)

Sauce:

2 large cans San Marzano whole tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

1 onion, diced

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup basil, chopped

4 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 tsp. Italian Seasoning Mix

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

1/2 cup red wine (optional)

Directions:

For Meatballs:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Wet hands and form golf ball sized balls.  When sauce is ready, place in sauce and gently simmer.

For Sauce:

Saute onion in olive oil.  When tender, add whole tomatoes, mash with potato masher until broken down to your liking.  Add remaining ingredients.  Add meatballs, bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.

To plate:

When pasta has come to aldente (after sauce is ready), drain and add in 2 ladles of sauce.  Coat pasta with sauce. Top with meatballs.  Serve hot and enjoy!

 

Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy

done3

I don’t know about you, but after the third turkey leftover meal, I am about done with turkey for a while.  It’s time to change things up come December and I’ve got a special treat to kick things off.  Nothing says good old American ‘stick to your ribs’ comfort good like Pot Roast!  And with my recipe for Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy, it’s a one pot meal you will be sure to keep in your Sunday dinner arsenal.

Start by clipping some bacon into a dutch oven. I am using my Pampered Chef Roc Crock Dutch Oven.

Cook bacon until crisp and set aside. Reserve the bacon fat in the pan.

I am using a 3lb. Boneless Chuck Roast for this recipe.

Use a good kosher salt in this recipe.

Spread the salt evenly on all sides of the meat. You can do this ahead of time if you like. Doing it up to 8 hours ahead of time allows the salt to really get into the meat.

Dredge all sides of the meat in flour.

Shake off the excess.

Place meat in the heated bacon grease on med/high heat.

It’s o.k. for this process to take time, you really can’t rush it. The more patience you have during this step in the process, the more flavor you will have in your dish.

Peel and cut carrots into 2″-3″ segments.

These are little red potatoes, the largest is probably 2″ in diameter.

Add carrots in over the potatoes.

Over the carrots and potatoes add in a couple stems each of rosemary and thyme.

Next, place the meat on top of the potatoes and carrots. Then spread frozen pearl onions on top of that.

Add in red wine.

Cover and place in a preheated oven at 275°F for about 3 hours.

AAA

GGG

You can use any type of domestic or portabella mushroom in this or really whichever kind you like. These white button mushrooms were on sale this week, so that’s what I used here. You want to brush them clean, no water and cut off any really blackened ends.

Quarter the mushrooms. I like quartering in this instance because I like more of a chunck to this gravy. If you like them smaller, by all means chop them up however you see fit. If you don’t happen to care for mushrooms, you can of course omit them.

Now it’s time for your reserved crispy bacon.

Melt a half a stick of butter into your pan. Remember you poured your liquid into another container for now, so your pot should look like this one.

Grab one large clove of garlic.

Slice it up pretty thinly.

Saute garlic, mushrooms and bacon in the butter.

I am using flour to thicken the gravy. If you are doing this in a gluten free mannor, swap out the flour for cornstarch.

Spread the flour over the contentts of then pan. Mix it around and cook for a minute or two.

Now add in your reserved cooking liquid.

Bring the liquid up to a boil for about one minute, then shut off and serve in a gravy boat.

Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients

3lb. Chuck Roast

1 cup flour or corn flour

2 Tbs. kosher salt

Olive oil for frying.

4 medium carrot

9 small red potatoes

1 cup pearl onions

2 sprigs rosemary

2 sprigs thyme

3 slices of bacon

1-1 1/2 cups red wine 

Directions:

Salt all sides of the meat. Dredge in flour and shake off ane excess. Fry up the chopped bacon, remove bacon and set aside for gravy, reserve fat in pan.  While on med/high, sear all sides of beef.  remove and set aside to build pot.  Place potatoes in bottom of pan, then top with carrots, rosemary and thyme.  Place beef on vegetables and top with pearl onions. Add in 1-1/1/2 cups of red wine.

For gravy:

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup flour or corn starch

6 mushrooms, quartered

1 garlic clove, sliced

reserved bacon bits

1 1 1/2- 2  cups reserved liquid from roast

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter into the pot where the roast was made.  Add in garlic, bacon and mushroom, saute.  Once mushrooms are tender add in flour.  Cook flour for about a minute or two while stirring.  Add in reserved cooking broth.  Bring to a boil for about one minute or so.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

*By switching from flour to corn flour and corn starch, this recipe can easily become gluten-free.

Roasted Paprika Chicken and Gravy

done2

Have you ever been to the grocery store and found chicken on a “Manager’s Special”?  It usually means they want to move the chicken out of store because they have a sell by date that is that day or the next, so they mark it way down… That was the case with today’s Sunday dinner.  I went to the market and found a big family size package of chicken drum sticks (10 in all) for $4.11.  I mean, how do you pass up a price like that? That’s like a $1.50  per pound.

So, I decided to take it home and make it into a lovely meal.  This dish is simple to put together with just 7 ingredients you probably have in your pantry already.  This recipe will work with any cut of chicken… if you find thighs at a good price, use those, breast, use those… But, I have to warn you, you may start making this meal even if the chicken isn’t on sale because aside from being inexpensive, it’s also super yummy!  With Crispy roasted skin that is pan seared first and a lush gravy over the top combined with melt in your mouth onions, mmmm.  I chose to plate my chicken on a platter of plain white rice, but you could certainly whip up some mashed potatoes or cous cous, or even buttered noodles.  I put it right on the platter mainly so it could soak up some of the silky gravy.

I should also mention that this chicken is on the table in under an hour and uses only one pan! Let me show you what I did…

Look at all this chicken!

Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Then sprinkle with Hungarian Paprika. Hungarian Paprika is one of my most favorite ingredients, it’s got a nice heat to it that isn’t overwhelming. However, if you don’t have Hungarian Paprika handy, just take some plain, run of the mill, sweet paprika and add a little cayenne pepper to it and you’ve got something pretty similar. (1 Tbs paprika + 1/4 tsp. cayenne)

In a heated skillet with about 1/8 cup of olive oil, place chicken seasoned side down.

Then repeat the seasoning process on the other side of the chicken as the first side is cooking.

Slice up a large onion… I have to tell you, I only used one onion, but you could definitely use two if you prefer, yum.

Slice up some garlic… My garlic was on some kind of steroids I think, so I just used one clove, but if you are using normal size garlic, you can use 3 cloves.

Turn the chicken in the skillet until each side looks lovely and golden brown just so.

Then add in your onions.

And your garlic.

Then just before you are ready to put it in the oven, drizzle with a bit more olive oil.

Then just before you are ready to put it in the oven, drizzle with a bit more olive oil.

This is what you should see.

Now place a lid on it and place in an oven heated to 350°F for 35-40 mins. (I should note that if your skillet is not oven safe, you may want to transfer to a baking dish at this point, cover with foil)

When it comes out of the oven, you should see that the meat is ready to fall off the bone.

On a family sized platter, make a bed of rice (or mashed potatoes or cous cous or buttered noodles)

Place chicken on rice and tent with foil while you make the gravy.

When you remove the chicken from the skillet, you will have a good amount of liquid left… this will be the base for your gravy.

There is one additional ingredient needed for the gravy… a heaping spoonful of corn starch. That’s it.

Be sure the heat has been off and wisk the cornstarch in to incorporate into your drippings until there are no lumps left.

You should see a nice smooth liquid. Now turn the heat to medium and constantly wisk.

When your gravy gets to this consistency, you could either thin out with a bit of water or if its thickened to your liking, then serve.

I like to pour the gravy right onto the platter.

done1

done4

Recipe for Roasted Paprika Chicken and Gravy:

(Serves 5-6)

3-4 lbs. chicken drum sticks (or thighs)

1/8 cup olive oil

1 large onion, thickly sliced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tsp. Hungarian Paprika

kosher salt

For gravy:

pan drippings

1 heaping Tbs. corn starch

1/2 cup water

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Sprinkle one side of raw chicken with kosher salt and paprika.  In a heated skillet add in 1/8 cup olive oil.  Next add in chicken, seasoned side down.  Once chicken is in the pan, season the other side that should be facing up.  Allow chicken to crisp up and become golden brown on all sides turning as needed, but not too often.

To the browned chicken add onions and garlic.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Cover and roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

Once the chicken comes out of the oven, set aside and tent with foil.

Drippings will remain in your skillet.  With the heat off, add in 1 heaping Tbs. corn starch.  Wisk in until there are no lumps.  Turn heat on to medium and continue to wisk until thickened.  If too thick, add in water.  Wisk another few seconds.  Pour over chicken.

*note: This is a gluten-free recipe.