Spaghetti with Meatballs!

Here's the deal, folks: I LOVE meatballs. I love them with spaghetti, on a sub, plain - you name it. They don't even have to be that good. (Fortunately, these are delicious - even better.) Honestly, I don't know why I don't make them more often, and I can't believe I haven't made them since I started this blog...in March 2010. I mean, really? What was I thinking? I made these on a weeknight, for goodness' sake - the cook time is a little long, but the prep is short and simple.

This definitely makes more than you need for one night. So much the better!

1 lb spaghetti
Olive oil

MEATBALLS
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp or so parsley
Salt
Ground pepper

SAUCE
2 tbsp or so olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
6-8 baby carrots, sliced thin
1 stalk celery, halved and sliced thin
A couple sprinkles "Italian" seasoning mix (basil, parsley, oregano)
1 large can Italian whole, peeled tomatoes
1 regular can tomato sauce
Salt to taste

Start by making your meatballs. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and mash up with your hands until completely and evenly combined. (Yeah, yeah, it's gross.)

Now, get your sauce started. Drizzle olive oil in a sauce pot, then add the garlic, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until slightly softened. Add both cans of tomatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

While the sauce is simmering, heat some olive oil in a large pan. Roll the meat into balls using your hands, and place each one in the oil to brown. Brown on all sides, then pour (oil and all) into the sauce.

Bring the sauce back to a boil for a couple minutes, then turn heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 45-60 minutes.

About 15 minutes before you're done cooking the sauce, cook your pasta.

Pour sauce and a couple meatballs over spaghetti, top with grated parmesan, and it's Lady and the Tramp all over again!

Travel Edition: Dining in Japan

(Tokyo - Pickled Vegetables, Various Tofus and Bean Curds, Sardines, Rice with Tiny Fish (Jayko!), Miso with Shellfish)

Time for a post that's long overdue: dining in Japan! Come on, you know I'm that embarrassing tourist who photographs every single meal item. And now - lucky, lucky you - I'm dedicating a whole post to those embarrassing photos.

One of my many, many favorite things about Japan was the food. The traditional cuisine is fantastic, the options are endless (we barely ate the same thing twice), and you can get just about any other international cuisine you want, and get it done right. So, in addition to Japanese food, we had Spanish, Thai, French, Irish Pub...aaaaand one trip to McDonald's (the most polite McD's experience ever, by the way - they even arranged the food in neat rows on the tray table).

Because everything is so clean, etc., you can really feel good about trying more adventurous dishes, which is fantastic.

One thing we noticed halfway into the trip was how fast the food was prepared, too. I didn't really realize this until two restaurants apologized that the food would take - horror of all horros - 15 minutes to make it to our table. Of course, that seemed more than reasonable to us, especially considering what was being prepared.

The single thing I didn't like: fermented soybeans, which made an unfortunate appearance in my last meal of soba noodles. Hey, I tried it. Not. Good.

Final food note: Tsukiji Fish Market. Massive and amazing. And they do it EVERY day!

The country is clearly still suffering from the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disasters, and will likely continue to do so for years to come. As many people have observed, however, the Japanese are not ones to let themselves be set back by extreme adversity: three days after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the community had the trolleys running again. I loved our trip, the country, and the people, and am hopeful for Japan's recovery.

Tokyo - Thai


Tokyo - Conveyor Belt Sushi


Tokyo - Yakitori; Sushi, Fresh from Tsukiji Fish Market; Udon; Making Soba Noodles


Nikko - (Politely Slurping) Ramen and Mizuyokan (Red Bean Jelly)

Hiroshima - Okonomiyaki and Food Display

Miyajima - Grilled Oysters, Prawn Tempura with Udon, and Momiji Manjū


Kyoto - Paella, Boulangerie Breakfast, Fish and Chips, McDonald's


Kyoto - Tempura; Carpaccio; Spaghetti with Shrimp, Asparagus, Garlic, White Wine, Parsley - Topped with Fish Eggs! (Seriously Delicious)


Kyoto - French Bistro - Carpaccio, Potage, Tender Beef




Kyoto - Gion - All One Meal!


Nara - Mackerel and Salmon Sushi Wrapped in Persimmon Leaves (Delicious!)


Tokyo - Fugu (Pufferfish) - (I didn't get to try it, but Joef did!)

Chocolate-Spice Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Glaze

(from Martha Stewart's "Cupcakes")

It feels like ages since I've made cupcakes! These would be fantastic for Christmas - they have that spice cookie taste and smell (hmm, probably because they use the same spices). And they were great for late March, too! I picked these because I shockingly had nearly all the ingredients in the house.

I can't get enough of this frosting, too. It's so, so good. Messy and chocolate-y and just perfect. Easy to make, too.

If you're Martha Stewart and you have access to things like candied ginger, you could top these with that and make 'em even better.

CUPCAKES (makes 12)
5 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp, plus more for cupcake tin
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for cupcake tin
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup boiling water
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup unsulfured molasses
Chocolate ganache glaze (below)

Preheat the oven to 350. Brush a muffin/cupcake tin with butter, then dust with cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Stir baking soda into the boiling water.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

With an electric mixer on medium-high, combine the butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add the molasses and the baking soda water and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to low, and add the flour mixture, beating until well-combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cups of the tin, filling each about halfway. Bake, rotating the tin halfway through, about 20 minutes. (While cooking, make the ganache glaze.)

Remove from oven and cool for about 15 minutes. Remove from the tin and let cool completely before spooning the ganache glaze over each cupcake. Enjoy memories of Christmas past!

CHOCOLATE GANACHE GLAZE
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp light corn syrup

Place chocolate in a small saucepan or heatproof bowl.

Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate. Let it stand without stirring until the chocolate begins to melt.

Use a flexible spatula to gently stir the chocolate and cream together until totally combined. It helps to begin near the center of the bowl and slowly work your way out. Don't overstir. Will be smooth and glossy.

Pantry Chicken Soup

It was one of those nights - ate too much takeout over the weekend, didn't get the chance to go grocery shopping, and starving due to an 11-mile run. The solution was this chicken soup with pasta and vegetables - made with whatever the heck we had around; hence, "pantry" chicken soup. Admittedly, it did require a quick drive over to a little grocery store for a couple veggies.

Of course, when I got home I realized the onion I thought I had was rotten, so I had to substitute a little onion powder and garlic. The beauty of a "pantry" soup is that you can really put whatever the heck you want in it. The only constants, I suppose, would be the chicken and broth. Unless you wanted it to be a veggie soup. Also, you could use rice instead of pasta, or just omit them both all together.

As prepared (hearty and satisfying):

Olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

8-10 baby carrots, sliced

1 small tomato, chopped

5 chicken drumsticks

Onion powder

Dill

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2-3 small red potatoes, chopped

1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and chopped

1/3 lb pasta

In a large pot, drizzle olive oil, then add garlic, carrots, and tomato and saute over medium-high heat until they begin to soften. Add your drumsticks to the pot so that they all are touching the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with dill and onion powder to taste. Brown on all sides.

Add chicken broth and potatoes, then bring to a boil. Add asparagus. Turn down heat, but boil for a few minutes longer. Turn down heat to simmer until chicken is cooked and potatoes have softened to your liking. Return to a boil and add pasta and cook until al dente. Ready to eat!

Steak with Habanero Butter (with Rabe and Mashed Potatoes)

This was Joef's "welcome home from Japan safe and sound" dinner. Rabe was, of course, a requisite item, as was the addition of something spicy - in this case, habanero butter for the steak, which was seriously delicious.

This is maybe the second time I've made steak. I'm not sure what cut I got - it was inexpensive, didn't have a bone, and was somehow really, really good. Probably because it was just a leeeeetle bit fatty. Mmm.

MASHED POTATOES
4-5 small red potatoes, chopped into largish chunks
Milk
1-2 tbsp butter
Garlic powder
Dill
Salt

Boil the potatoes until softened. Drain, then stir in butter until it melts. Stir in milk, mashing the potatoes, until they're at the consistency you want. Add garlic powder and dill to taste. Season with salt to your liking.

STEAK with HABANERO BUTTER
2 steaks
Salt
Pepper
Habanero butter for serving (see instructions below)

With steaks at room temperature, salt and pepper on both sides, pressing the seasoning into the steak. Cook under the oven broiler. Turn once, cooking for a total of about 6-10 minutes, depending on how well done you want them. For the habanero butter, melt 2 or so tablespoons of butter and add habanero pepper flakes - a few pinches - stir to combine and pour over steaks once they're cooked. Enjoy!

Cheesy Scrambled Eggs with Veggies and Toast

I'm a big fan of eggs for lunch. Combine that with an urge to be better at eating vegetables, and an insatiable hunger after a (lousy) 10.5 mile run, and you have this meal. If you can, get the toast crispy enough so you can eat it like an open-faced sandwich (which I suppose it is), without a fork.

1/2 a bunch or so asparagus, quartered
A little white onion, chopped
Olive oil
3 eggs, beaten with dill
1/2 a small tomato, chopped and salted
Shredded cheese, to taste

Saute the asparagus and onion in olive oil over medium/medium-high until both have softened. Pour beaten egg into pan and slowly shift the mixture around, letting the egg turn and cook on all sides. Pour in the tomatoes, and mix them in in the same fashion. Near the end, add the cheese and stir gently to incorporate as it melts. Serve over toast.

Polenta with Sauteed Mushrooms and Rabe

If I make polenta, it means Joef isn't around. He is not a fan. I wish he were around - he is still in Japan - safe, and on his way back home, but still in Japan. I can't imagine the devastation and loss the people of Japan are suffering.

For now, I'll focus on lighter things. This is an incredibly quick and easy meal. The recipe is a little rough, as I improvised as I went along, and fortunately, it's the type of recipe that allows you to be a little inexact. If I'd had wine, I probably would've added it. Chicken broth did just fine. Go ahead and use instant polenta - it's just about as good as the real thing, and definitely worth the corner-cutting.

Half-package sliced mushrooms, rinsed
A few stalks or more broccoli rabe
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
Olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup instant polenta (you'll have leftovers, which you can saute and eat for breakfast!)

Saute garlic, mushrooms, and rabe in olive oil until the mushrooms start to soften and darken. Add the chicken broth and cook over medium-high, allowing some of the broth to absorb/cook off. When it's at the liquid level you want and the mushrooms are cooked, pour over your instant polenta. Add a drizzle of olive oil, if you wish, and serve with parmesan cheese

Pasta with Eggplant

Back from Japan! The food was amazing. A post on that to follow, and hopefully recipes in the future. But for now, it's back to - what else? - Italian!

There's a recipe that's been tempting me from "Italian Country Cooking" - it's for a type of pasta casserole with eggplant, smoked mozzarella, breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, basil. It sounds delicious. Unfortunately, it's a slightly more involved recipe, which means it frequently falls off my list. This time, I actually bought an eggplant and was all set to go - and then I ran out of time. Desperate to use the eggplant before leaving for Japan, I came up with the recipe below, which is kind of a quick version - I would imagine - of the casserole.

I also considered not adding the tomato sauce - something I'll have to try in the future. In that case, I would have sauteed the eggplant in the garlic, etc., as described, then tossed in the pasta and sprinkled it all with toasted breadcrumbs, probably skipping the mozzarella but adding plenty of parmesan.

In any a case, it was a hit. Even Joef, who was professedly not a fan of eggplant, loved it and called for a repeat performance. I forgot how flavorful eggplant is - it really infuses the whole sauce, and is very hearty.

3/4 lb short pasta

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Olive oil

1 medium eggplant, partially skinned, chopped, and salted (see instructions below)

Fresh or dried basil

8 oz tomato sauce or less

Grated mozzarella, for serving

The first step is (thanks, Internet!) to prep the eggplant. Start by cutting off the tip, then partially skinning it - so use a potato peeler to peel off a strip, leave a strip, peel off a strip, etc. - until it's striped. Next, chop the eggplant into roughly bite-sized chunks. Place the eggplant in a collander over paper towels, and salt lightly, tossing the eggplant so the salt gets integrated. Leave it for 30 minutes or so. Drain, rinse, and pat dry. This has something to do with the natural absorption of the eggplant - improving it, or limiting it, or something or other. In any case, it worked.

Cook your pasta.

In the meantime, drizzle olive oil liberally into your pan. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the garlic. After a minute or two, add the eggplant and some basil, and stir to coat in the olive oil. Turn the heat to medium and saute until the eggplant begins to soften and lightly brown. Then, add your tomato sauce (you may not need the full can, depending on how tomato-y and saucey you want it) and stir. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to low to simmer. Give it at least 10-15 minutes.

When ready, pour sauce over pasta and top with grated mozzarella right away so it gets melty.