What's For Dinner Maddie?

What is the meaning of life? Let’s solve this on a cooking blog, shall we? Perhaps the meaning of life can be found by pushing our creative boundaries and telling our rational mind that it can’t always be the boss of us. Both in life and in cooking, recipes can be prescriptive and we can choose to follow them to the letter or we can opt to let our senses guide us.  A stay at my sister’s lodge, Clouds, on the edge of the Bwindi Impenetrable Rainforest in Uganda, has injected a life altering octane into all five of my senses.  Her place is absolutely outstanding. Travel can do that, stimulate to the point where we are feeling more than we are thinking; we see and hear, touch, taste and smell our surroundings with a childlike wonderment that allows the newness of everything to burst past our mid-life veil and fill us with experience. My sister and I adventured into the jungle, plunging ourselves into waterfalls along the way to stay cool as we trekked down the valley into Buhoma. Weary at the end of the day, I snuck a peek through my binoculars into the forest in the failed hopes of spotting a mountain gorilla. Instead, my search revealed a tree glistening in the sunshine with such clarity I thought I was looking at life through new lenses. Hmm, I guess I was; Bushnell. But it was exciting, seeing this tree with such focus, watching the intricacies of its movements with crystal clarity. On our return trek back up from the valley, calves aching from the previous day’s hike down, we passed through ferns so large we felt like we’d been shrunk and put in a movie with Rick Moranis. Another few steps and an explosion of butterflies all around us, thousands of them; I swear a symphony was hiding behind one of the giant ferns as it burst into the Butterfly Overture. Even my sister, who has lived here 18 years, marveled every step of the way. We paused for lunch on a bridge made of sticks and twigs lashed together and we delved into the most delicious meatballs I have ever had. I savoured each bite, aware that even though my senses were heightened, this was not just mindful eating; these meatballs were good. And they were cold (well, maybe a bit warm, since we were on the equator). So go ahead, make them, get lost in the aromas of the fresh herbs, the rhythm of your chopping knife and the gentle subtleties of shaping each ball. Enjoy them hot, perhaps with a tomato sauce, and also cold! This recipe is my sister’s, tried and true, and absolutely delicious. The meatballs we actually ate included some minced red and green pepper, which was a wonderful fresh addition if the meatballs are eaten on their own with no sauce. The photo does not do them justice, but take some creative license, experiment and the taste will undoubtedly astound, despite their appearance!

Meatball Ingredients

makes enough for 4 with enough meatballs leftover for another meal

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb gound pork
(can also add 1/2 lb ground veal, but add a few extra herbs so the flavour is not diluted by the extra meat)
1 egg
½ cup breadcrumbs, soaked in a bit of milk (1/4 cup), if you like but not necessary
3 Tbs freshly and finely grated parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbs or more fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp salt

optional:

1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper

Add these especially if you plan to either picnic on the meatballs or eat them without the tomato sauce as it adds not only another layer of flavour but also a bit of veg to the meat.  I like add the peppers to half the meatballs and put some aside for another day, while the rest go into the tomato sauce.

Tomato Sauce

this recipe is only enough for about 4 people; use another can of tomatoes for more

2 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes
2 tsp dried herbs; could be one of or a mixture of oregano, thyme, basil, herbs de Provence or Italian herbs

Cooking meatballs

Preheat oven to 325°F Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and then using your hands, shape into balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 30 minutes, depending on the size of the meatballs. Be careful not to overcook as they will taste dry.

Cooking Tomato Sauce

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan and add the garlic and stir.  After a minute or so, add the herbs and stir again. Once the garlic begins to cook, add the tinned tomatoes and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste and gently mash the tomatoes with a potato masher until there are no lumps. Simmer for another few minutes or until sauce thickens slightly.

Add the meatballs (or some of them) to the sauce until warmed through and serve over pasta. Any pasta will do but for meatballs, I tend to lean toward a broad egg noodle as opposed to a spaghetti that I would use for a bolognese sauce or a fusilli for a plain tomato sauce.

Be liberal with the herbs and let your senses guide you as you totter about like the Swedish chef throwing ingredients hither and tither, then, revel in the fruits of your labour!

 

Coming soon to What’s For Dinner Maddie:

Sister’s Chorizo and Tomato Salad
Ungracious Crepes