eggs

  • Meatballs, Roberts

    Meatballs, Roberts
    Meatballs, Roberts
    (Serves)


    2 lbs ground beef
    1 lb ground veal
    1 lb ground pork
    2 eggs, beaten
    ½ Italian parsley, chopped fine
    6 fresh basil leaves, minced
    1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
    1 tblsp black pepper, ground
    1½ tbslp salt
    6 cloves garlic, minced
    1½ cups day old Italian bread


    NOTES:
     

    Pre-heat oven to 350°

    Mix thoroughly all the ingredients.

    Roll small size meatballs, 1½ inches in diameter, careful not to pack them too tight.

    While it does take time to roll 100 meatballs, you will now have quality meatballs for months! Put on some nice meatball rolling music!
    On a large baking sheet place the meatballs close, but not touching, you could probably fit close to 100 on a normal baking sheet.

    Bake for 15 minutes.

    If you are going to add the meatballs to a pot of red sauce you can remove the meatballs from the oven 5 minutes earlier as they will finish cooking in the sauce.

    Serve with pasta with parmesan cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese) or on a roll with mozzerella cheese, or simply grab one with your fork and walk around eating it. Yum!

  • Pastry Dough

    Pastry Dough
    Pastry Dough
    (Makes 1 pie shell)
    1½ cups flour
    5½ tblsp butter, cold, in ½ inch bits
    2 tblsp lard or shortening
    1 whole egg
    3 - 6 tblsp water
    NOTES: Can be used for both sweet and savory pies or tarts.

    Instructions

    Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and cut in the butter and shortening/lard.

    Mix together the egg and water and gradually stir it into the butter/flour mixture, until a solid mass forms, adding more water if necessary.

    Shape the dough into a ball. Knead for several seconds, then wrap in plastic or wax paper and refrigerate for an hour.

    If the dough is to be pre-baked, roll out first, line the pie pan with it, prick all over with a fork and return to chill for another hour before using. This helps to prevent the pastry case from shrinking during pre-baking.

     

  • Peanut Blossom Cookies

    Peanut Blossom Cookies
    Peanut Blossom Cookies
    (Makes @48 cookies)

    1¾ cups all purpose flour
    ½ cup sugar
    ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
    1 tsp baking soda
    ½ tsp salt
    ½ cup shortening
    ½ cup peanut butter
    1 egg
    2 tblsp milk
    1 tsp vanilla
    48 milk chocolate candy kisses

    NOTES:

    Pre-heat oven to 375°F. In a large mixer bowl, combine all ingredients except the candy kisses.

    Blend well at low speeds. Shape into balls, using a rounded teaspoon for each. Roll balls in additional sugar; place on an ungreased cookie sheets.

    Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, top each with a candy kiss, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around edge.

  • Polpette di Melanzane (Eggplant Meatballs)

    Polpette di Melanzane Eggplant Meatballs
    Polpette di Melanzane
    (Makes 12-15)


    Salt
    26 oz (750g) eggplant, cut into ½ inch cubes
    ⅓ cup grated pecorino cheese
    ⅓ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
    2 large eggs
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1 tblsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
    Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
    About ¾ cup bread crumbs, plus extra for breading
    Vegetable oil for frying


    NOTES: I used 2 of the large long chinese eggplants, they weighed exactly 26oz!, blasphemy I know! The smaller eggplants have more flavor. I did have good experience freezing them with no sauce. I used a seal-a-meal and stopped the air from sucking out once the initial air was out this way it did not mush the polpette. They were in the freezer only a few weeks but I am sure they will last a few months frozen. They can also be reheated in the sauce. Original recipe came from Pasta Grammar, they have lots of authentic Italian food on YouTube and their website.

    Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously. Add the cubed eggplant and boil for about 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is very tender. Drain and let cool to the touch.

    Squeeze the excess water out of the eggplant and place it in a large mixing bowl. Add the cheeses, eggs, garlic, parsley, plenty of black pepper, and a big pinch of salt. Add about half of the bread crumbs and begin mixing the ingredients by hand.

    Continue to add more bread crumbs until the mixture is soft and moldable, but not too wet or sticky. The amount of breadcrumbs needed will vary, so trust your judgment.

    Fill a deep pan with about 1 inch of vegetable oil and heat over med/high heat. Meanwhile, form the meatball mix into about 15 polpette. Form them into balls about 1½ to 2 inches in diameter. Dust the polpette in bread crumbs.

    Once the oil is at 350°F., working in batches, carefully drop the eggplant polpette into the pan, like anything deep fried, don't overcrowd the pan, I fried 4-6 at a time. Turn them frequently and fry until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes in total. Remove to a paper towel to drain.

    Serve the polpette warm and fresh. Buon appetito!

  • Quiche, Ham and Leek

    Quiche, Ham and Leek
    Quiche, Ham and Leek
    (Serves 6-8)


    7 oz ham, sliced thin like batons or small chunks
    1 large leek, thinly sliced
    1 shallot, minced
    4 eggs, beaten
    2 oz heavy cream
    3½ Gruyère cheese, shredded
    2 tblsp fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, rosemary, minced
    pie crust for bottom crust only
    Salt and Pepper to taste


    NOTES:
     

    Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. and in 9" round glass pie plate, add the bottom crust, thinly rolled out and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Set aside.

    I like to add, and arrange my dry ingredients first, then I mix the beaten eggs with the heavy cream and pour over the dry ingredients.
    Bake for 15-20 minutes. A wooden tooth pick inserted in the center should come out clean.

  • Salt and Pepper Pork Chops

    Salt and Pepper Pork
    Salt and Pepper Pork
    (Serves 2-4)


    Main Ingredients
    1 lb thin sliced pork loin or pork chops
    ¼ red bell pepper, chopped
    ¼ onion, chopped
    ¼ green bell pepper, chopped
    1 stalk green onion, thin slices
    ½ red chili pepper, thin slices
    2 cloves garlic, minced

    Marinade
    2 tblsp corn starch
    ½ tsp baking soda
    1 tblsp cooking wine
    1 tblsp oyster sauce
    1 tblsp light soy sauce
    1 tblsp water
    1 tsp sugar
    ½ tsp salt

    Other Ingredients
    2 cups vegetable oil
    ½ egg
    6 tbsp corn starch

    Seasoning 1 tsp garlic salt
    ¼ tsp salt
    ¼ tsp white pepper



    NOTES: If your using pork tenderloin, I don't think you need to tenderize the pork slices. At the end when adding the garlic powder, salt whit pepper mix, I do it per pork slice and don't use what is left over, if any.
     

    You can use other cuts of pork and depending on your cut of pork, you can tenderize the pork by using either a meat tenderizing mallet, or the back of your chef knife on both sides.

    Mix the marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl and add the pork. Let marinate for 30-60 minutes.

    Chop all your main ingredient vegetables and set aside.

    After the pork has had time to marinate, heat the oil up in a sauce pan to 380°F. Meanwhile beat the ½ egg in a small bowl and pour the egg into the marinated pork and mix well.

    Add the cornstarch, 6 tbsp, onto a large plate. When the oil is at temperature, coat the pork chops or slices in the cornstarch and fry, one or two at a time until they are all fried a light golden brown. Now turn the oil up to 450°F. and fry the pork a second time for about 30 seconds and set aside.

    Now heat a wok or large frying pan on high heat, add 1 tsp oil, now add in the garlic, red chili pepper, and fry until it starts to be aromatic. Add the onion, bell peppers and fry for another 30 seconds.
    Add the scallions followed by all of the pork for about 30 seconds. Now gradually add in the seasoning to evenly coat all the pork chop pieces/slices.
    Cook for a further 20 seconds before turning off the heat.
    Continue mixing for 30 more seconds until the pork is evenly coated in the seasoning.

    Serve with a side of rice.

  • Sweet Potato Pie

    Sweet Potato Pie
    Sweet Potato Pie
    (Makes 3 - 9 inch - pies, serves 6-8 per pie)


    Pie Crust 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
    1 1/2 tsp sugar
    1 tsp salt
    1 1/2 cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter
    3/8 cup (6 tblsp) ice water

    Pie Filling
    3 lb large sweet potato, 4 potatoes
    1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted
    2 cups white sugar
    1/2 cup brown sugar
    1 tsp ground cinnamon
    3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
    1/4 tsp ground ginger
    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    4 large eggs
    1 tblsp self-rising flour
    1/4 cup buttermilk
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    1 tblsp fresh lemon juice


    NOTES: Trust me, you'll want to make all 3 pies! I made 2, 9 inch pies and a random amount of 1 inch and 4 inch personal pies. Check that the crust is not getting too dark 45 minutes into baking. If you have the time, I recommend the slow method, oven at 350°F. 1 inch pies for 30 minutes, 4 inch pies for 50 minutes. As pie protocol dictates, if the crusts edge get too dark, cover the crusts with foil and finish baking.
     

    In a food processor, pulse several times to combine the all-purpose flour, and 1/2 tsp each salt and sugar.

    Add the cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea size pieces remaining.

    Add 6 tblsp ice water; pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if needed, add up to 2 more tblsp ice water, 1 tblsp at a time). Do not overmix.

    Turn out onto work surface; knead once or twice, until dough comes together. Split the dough into 3 equal pieces. Flatten each piece of dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

    Place the dough on a floured piece of parchment or waxed paper. Using the knuckles of your hand, press edges of dough to help prevent cracking when you roll it out. Repeat for each piece of dough.

    Roll the dough to a 14-inch round. Using parchment paper, lift and wrap the dough around the rolling pin, being careful to unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Fit it into the bottom and along the sides of the plate, being careful not to stretch or tear dough. Repeat for each piece of dough.

    With a paring knife, trim the dough 1" over the plate then fold under and seal to form a rim. Crimp the rim with a fork or your fingertips. Prick bottom of pie dough all over with a fork. Repeat for each piece of dough. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

    Boil or bake potatoes until tender.

    Remove the skin and discard, place in a mixer and blend until smooth.

    Pre-heat oven to 365˚F.

    Add the melted butter, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Combine well.

    Add the eggs, one at a time and mix well in between each egg.
    Add the flour, buttermilk, vanilla, lemon extract and mix well.

    Fill each of your pies with 1/3 of the pie filling.
    Bake for about 1 hour or until the center of the pie is set.

  • Yellow Squash Casserole

    Yellow Squash Casserole
    Yellow Squash Casserole
    (Serves 6)


    2 large yellow squash
    1 large zucchini
    ½ cup carrots, coarsely chopped
    ¼ cup unsalted butter
    1 large yellow onion, chopped small
    1 large clove garlic, minced
    1&¼ cup crackers, crushed
    ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
    Tabasco sauce, dash or 2 to taste
    salt and pepper, to taste
    2 eggs, beaten


    NOTES:
     

    Pre-heat oven to 350° F.
    Prepare a medium sized casserole dish by spraying with vegetable spray (or oil/butter the dish).
    Slice the squash and zucchini length-wise, then slice each ½ length-wise again, then cut them cross-wise in ¼ chunks.
    Add the carrots, zucchini and squash to sauce pan, cover with cold water, salt it well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cover. Cook about 20 minutes, until the veggie's are soft.
    Meanwhile in a skillet, melt 3 tblsp butter over med/low heat. Stir in the onions. Cook slowly until translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for another minute. Set onions aside in a mixing bowl.
    In the same skillet you just used, add the last of the butter (1 tblsp) over med/low heat, when melted, add ½ cup of the cracker crumbs. Cook the crumbs until they're golden brown, about one minute.
    Drain the crumbs on a paper towel on a plate.
    Now, drain the vegetables, mash them up slightly.
    Add the mashed veggie's to the onion/garlic mix.
    Stir in the remaining cracker crumbs (not the toasted crumbs!), cheese, dash or 2 of Tabasco sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
    Stir in the eggs.
    Transfer to the baking dish that's greased.
    Sprinkle the toasted cracker crumbs over the top.
    Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until golden brown and slightly firm in the center.
    Serve hot.

  • Zucchini Fritters

    Zucchini Fritters
    Zucchini Fritters
    (Makes 15 or so)


    2 medium zucchinis, grated
    2 eggs
    1 onion, grated
    ¾ cup almond flour
    1 tsp garlic
    1 tsp black pepper
    1 tsp basil
    pinch of salt


    NOTES:
     

    Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
    After grating the zucchini, squeeze out the excess water, combine all ingredients.
    On a lightly greased sheet pan add 1 tblsp of the mixture with some space inbetween each tblsp of mixture.
    Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops and sides have started to brown.