Salisbury Steak Meatballs

|
By
|
139 comments

Salisbury Steak Meatballs
I’m such a sucker for any form of comfort food. I’ve been feeling a little gypped this winter, as it’s been unseasonably warm for most of the season. But, I haven’t let it stop me from enjoying a few of my favorites.

One dish I loved growing up was noodles and gravy. It was so easy, so filling, so comforting. Growing up, I stayed with an elderly couple before and after school in the afternoons until my parents got off work. It was something they’d often make for a quick meal, and I remember them always using No Yolks® noodles.

So when the brand reached out to me about creating a comfort food recipe to share with my readers using their noodles – my mind immediately flashed back to that childhood favorite. But, I wanted to elevate it a little bit to create a more grown-up version…

Salisbury steak has always been a favorite in our home, so that flavor combination rolled up into a delectable meatball, and served over a bed of perfectly cooked and firm egg noodles? It’s absolute heaven. The beefy flavor from the mushrooms and the savory flavor of the sautéed onions is perfection. And, the meatballs stay incredibly moist simmering in the sauce. It’s everything I loved and remembered about the meal in my childhood, only incredibly better!

A key component of the dish that shouldn’t be overlooked is a good, quality noodle. No Yolks has always been the gold standard in my kitchen.  They always retain their firm texture and shape, even in something like a soup. That is something that’s hard to come by in an egg noodle! Not to mention the fact that they are low in fat and have zero cholesterol.  What more could a girl ask for?

For more comforting recipes using noodles, visit No Yolks® for some delicious ideas.

What was one of your favorite comfort foods growing up? Leave a comment with the answer to win a $100 Visa gift card!

 

Salisbury Steak Meatballs

2/3 cup milk
4-5 slices of bread, crusts removed, bread cut into pieces
1/2 medium white onion, peeled and grated (through a cheese grater)
2 eggs
1.5 lbs ground beef (80/20)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 bag No Yolks ®  Extra Broad Noodles

For the sauce:
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 cups sliced onions (other half of onion, plus 1 medium onion)
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour
1 quart beef stock
Salt
Black pepper

In a medium bowl, mix the bread pieces with the milk. Set aside for 15-20 minutes, or until the bread soaks up all the milk. When it does, pulverize the bread in a food processor and pour it into a large bowl.

Add the grated onion, eggs, ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the bread. Using your (clean) hands, mix well for about 2 minutes until the ingredients are well combined.

I like to use a cookie scoop to make the meatballs. Form into 1-inch balls. Set aside on a sheet pan or plate. You should get 35 to 40 meatballs.

Heat 6 tablespoons of butter for the sauce in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, reduce the heat to medium and add some of the meatballs. Do not crowd the pan. Work in batches, browning them slowly on all sides. They don’t need to cook all the way, they’ll finish in the sauce. Once browned, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pan, setting them aside so you can make the sauce with the remaining pan butter.

Add the sliced mushrooms, onions, and garlic – along with a pinch of salt, to the pan drippings. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are soft and the mushrooms have released most of their liquid. Slowly whisk in the flour. Stirring constantly, brown the flour until it is the color of coffee-with-cream. Add the beef stock slowly. Keep whisking until sauce loosens up and everything combines. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Carefully add the meatballs back into the sauce, cover, and cook for 25 minutes over low heat. Meanwhile, prepare the egg noodles according to package directions.

Serve the meatballs with a generous dose of sauce over a bed of warm egg noodles.

Serves 6

Tell us what your favorite comfort food is for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!

Entry Instructions:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post.

For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected. 

The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 2/22/16 – 3/27/16.

Roasted Citrus Pork Tenderloin

|
By
|
1 comment

Citrus Pork Tenderloin

Just when I think I can’t possibly come up with another preparation for a pork tenderloin, I’ll find a new twist that I love. I’d originally made a version of this tenderloin while out on the boat this year. I’d put it together in the morning, then grilled it on the boat. The orange, lime, honey, and garlic meld together to give wonderful flavor to the pork. And the sugars in the orange juice and honey give the create a beautiful, deep carmelization. Just served it with something simple like sesame noodles or potato salad. Everyone always loved it!

As it was such a big hit over the summer, I figured it would be something that would translate nicely to a one-dish meal, now that the weather has turned cold. So instead of grilling, I seared it off in a cast iron skillet, ten added some sweet potato wedges, Brussels sprouts, and fresh cranberries. The whole thing is placed into the oven to finish off cooking. In about 30 minutes, you’ve got a delicious (and complete!) meal.

I’d never roasted cranberries before, but now that I have – it certainly won’t be the last time! The flavor concentrates, and their sweetness really comes out. Not to mention that they were so gorgeous and festive dotted in-between the roasted veggies. For a meal that’s so easy, it’s really impressive. Something a little different than ham or crown roast of pork – also much more economical. I know I’m trying to pinch a few pennies between now and Christmas! Everyone will love this one.

Roasted Citrus Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts & Cranberries

For the marinade:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 Tbsp honey
1/3 cup olive oil

For the roast:
2 pork tenderloins (about 1 lb each)
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges
2 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved if large
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
olive oil
kosher salt

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a lidded jar, and shake well to combine. Add pork tenderloins to a resealable bag and pour in marinade. Let sit for at least 1 hour, or up to 8.

Preheat your oven to 425. Place 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet (like cast iron) and add the pork tenderloins. Sear until nicely browned on all sides, about 7 minutes. Turn off heat and add the sweet potato wedges and Brussels, nestling in-between and around the pork. Scatter the cranberries over the top. Drizzle with about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and season with a hefty pinch of kosher salt.

Place in oven and cook for about 20 minutes, until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 140. Remove the pork from the oven onto a cutting board and tent with foil, continue roasting the vegetables for 10 minutes more…until starting to brown around the edges.

Slice pork and serve with the roasted vegetables and cranberries.

  • Pork can also be grilled. Marinade as directed, then grill pork tenderloins over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until pork reaches 140 degrees.

Crab Pizza

|
By
|
9 comments

Crab PizzaOur summer is starting to come to a close. We’ve been making sure to get plenty of beach and boating time before it does, but…it’s coming, whether we like it or not.

That’s not to say that I don’t adore fall…really, it’s my favorite season! Chilly mornings with hot coffee, the leaves turning, and most importantly – cheap, fat crabs. They’re down to $50 a bushel here on the Eastern Shore, which makes a spontaneous crab feast on a Saturday afternoon totally doable. Which is precisely what we did last weekend…

We ate our fill, then had plenty leftover to pick the next day. Ended up with close to 3 lbs! Of course I had to make a batch of my creamy crab dip, and I’ll be making some crab cakes to freeze. But, I wanted to do something a little different this time around.

Last month we took a cruise up to Seacrets in Ocean City in our friend’s pontoon boat (thanks, Captain Luke!). A few cocktails were consumed, as well as this delicious pizza. They actually call it “crab toast”… to which, I call bullshit. It’s a crab pizza, and it’s absolutely delicious.

I kept it simple, the crab is the star ingredient here, and it should shine. A light covering of a simple garlicky white sauce, topped with cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, and the crown…jumbo lump crab. Now, let me just go ahead and put this out on the table – don’t use canned crab. Ever. For anything. The quality is absolutely critical for an application such as this. So, if you can’t get the good stuff , just don’t bother.

That’s why we have to get while the gettin’ is good here. Another bushel will probably be on the menu this weekend!

Crab Pizza

For the white sauce:
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
3/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the pizza:
1 ball pizza dough, halved
Olive oil, for brushing
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 lb. fresh crab meat
Old Bay, for topping

To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until bubbling and light golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in the heavy cream and garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the pizza, preheat the oven and a pizza stone to 500 F for at least 20 minutes. Shape each pizza dough into a 12-14 inch round. Lightly brush the perimeter of the dough with olive oil. Spread a thin layer of the white sauce over the crust, leaving a border clear around the edge for the crust. Sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.

Transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, and top with fresh crab. Return to oven for a minute or two, just to warm the crab. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before slicing and serving. Top with Old Bay, if desired. Repeat process with other dough.

Source: inspired by Seacrets Crab Toast

Crab Alfredo Pasta

|
By
|
Comments are off for this post

Crab AlfredoThings have been crazy around here. Pony Penning took place last week here on Chincoteague, second only to Christmas around these parts. Friends and family are in town, we were busy running around to one event or another, and good home-cooked meals (and blogging) kind of fell by the wayside.

Crab season is also in full swing here on the Eastern Shore. They’re cheap, plentiful, and heavy. I paid $50 for a bushel of #1’s the other day – that’s insanity! I’m very fortunate to be able to cut out the middle men, and go directly to the source.

On those nights when things are crazy, and you want something easy and delicious that doesn’t take forever – this crab alfredo always answers the call. Five minutes to make the creamy sauce while the pasta is cooking, a quick warm-up in the pan for some fresh crab meat… and you have an ahhhmazing pasta dish that took no time to prepare, but is impressive as all get out!

A side of steamed broccoli or a green salad, and a glass of white wine paired alongside makes for a perfect light summer meal.

Crab Alfredo Pasta

1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat
2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, very finely minced
1 lb fettucini or linguine pasta
fresh lemon wedges (for garnish)
fresh parsley (fresh garnish)

For the Alfredo sauce:
8 Tbsp butter
2 cups heavy cream
3 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp cold water
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
kosher salt
ground white pepper
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, and place back in the pot.

While pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Melt 8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream. Cook, over medium heat until simmering. Combine the cornstarch and cold water, whisk into the cream mixture. Cook, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens. Take off heat, and whisk in the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Keep warm while you prepare the crab.

Melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the crabmeat and carefully toss to coat in the garlic butter. Let sit for about two minutes, until just warmed through.

Add 3/4 of the Alfredo sauce to the pasta, and toss to coat. Plate portions of the pasta on a plate, and top with a generous portion of the crabmeat. Serve with a wedge of lemon and fresh parsley for garnish, if desired. Serve immediately.