traditional meatloaf

Bon Chappétit actually started out as a recipe bank of sorts. It was a way for me to begin documenting and storing recipes that either my mother had passed down to me, or new ones that I'd tried and wanted to tell her about. It was a much more organized method than the random emails and newspaper clippings, Word documents (she gave me a Word doc recipe book when I'd gone to college) and the other various means we've used over the years.

That's really at the core of what this is all about - sharing recipes with those you love. Whether it be your parents, grandparents, friends back home (some of who may have blogs of their own), friends from wherever you may be now, or perfect strangers. Sometimes even more so than photographs, a meal can evoke all kinds of memories and emotions.

You may be wondering what this all has to do with meatloaf? Well, meatloaf has always been one of my favorites. I've always loved my mom's - even if it was one of the simpler dishes she made. It was hers, and it always reminded me of home no matter where I had it. Recently, I found my great grandmother's recipe buried in an email from my great aunt. I decided to give it a whirl, and even though I never had the pleasure of having the meal directly with my great grandmother, I still had nostalgic feelings while preparing and enjoying the meal. It was a true pleasure to make, and I got several meals out of it (including a breakfast, which I'll post soon). So without any additional rambling, here's what you'll need:

For the loaf:

• 2 lbs. of meat (I used 1 lb. of ground beef, and an additional lb. of beef/pork/veal combo)
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 onion, grated
• 1/4 finely chopped green pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cracker crumbs (I crumbled up Ritz)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 slices bacon

veal scallops w/ prosciutto & sage

I'll start by saying that I'm well aware that today's dish might be controversial to some. I know many are ethically opposed to things like veal. Sometimes I am; last night I was not. I've never actually cooked with it before, and I was curious to see how it would go. Now that I'm typing this up, I realize that I actually made almost the identical recipe back in October with tilapia. So if you think this sounds good, but can't bring yourself to use veal, try that one! But if you're willing to forge ahead, here's what you'll need:

• 6 veal scallops (about 1/2 lb.)
• 6 slices of prosciutto
• 6 sage leaves
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• Pepper

Begin by taking each veal scallop and topping with a slice of prosciutto and a sage leaf. Secure the three together with a toothpick. Dust each scallop lightly with flour, shaking off any excess.

Melt the butter in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Place the veal scallops prosciutto-side down for about 1 minute (or until it begins to turn golden brown). Flip and cook for about another minute, lightly dusting them with pepper. Then reduce the heat and cook for another few minutes (4-5, depending on their thickness) until the veal is cooked through.

Remove from heat and set aside. Add the wine to the pan to deglaze. Let boil for a few minutes until most of it has cooked off, then serve over the scallops as a sauce (this probably serves two easily). I thought the flavors were really lovely together.

Bon chappétit!

italian meatballs w/simple tomato sauce

Last night I decided to betray my mom (sorry!) and try a new meatball recipe. I'm used to the basic, old school kind that's really just ground beef, breadcrumb and egg. Well, let me tell y'all, this new version really sent me for a loop. They were so succulent and tasty, I don't think I'll ever turn back. And I really don't feel that sorry Mom - once you try these you'll see what I mean :) Here's what you'll need:

For the meatballs

• 1 lb meat (I used the a ground beef/pork/veal combo in my local market)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1/4 cup of cheese (I used a pecorino romano I had, but you could use parmesan as well)
• Salt and pepper

For the sauce

• 1 large can peeled tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 8-10 basil leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive 
• Salt and pepper

Begin by getting the sauce going. In a medium pot, sauté the garlic and onion in oil. Once they begin to open up and brown, pour the liquid from the tomatoes into the pot, and the tomatoes from the can into a bowl. Mash them up nicely, and then add to the pot, along with the basil, salt and pepper to taste.  Let this simmer on low heat in the background while preparing the meatballs.

For the meatballs, basically just combine everything in a large bowl.  Roll into desired size (mine pictured are about the size of golfballs).  I then baked mine on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes on 450 degrees.  You can also brown them in a skillet with a little oil if you'd prefer.  They also get a little crispier this way, which can be nice. However, I was feeling lazy and didn't want to have another pan to clean (I lined the cookie sheet with tin foil to avoid cleaning - genius!)

After they've been cooked by whichever method, add them to the sauce and let them simmer and blend while you cook your pasta. Once the pasta is done, toss it all together and you're done.  This made 16 meatballs, which could easily feed 4 people.  You may want to double the sauce if you're serving that many and want it really saucy. I kept it on the lighter side - although I ate half of this all by myself in one sitting...

Bon chappétit!