TV Dinner: Meatballs al Forno with Creamy Polenta

(Watch TV. Get inspired. Make Dinner.)

Some of my first PBS television memories (even more vivid than Sesame Street) are of watching cooking shows. I can honestly remember watching Julia Child & Jeff Smith (The Frugal Gourmet) whip up dishes, and thinking, "man, I wish I could do that." Watching Julia prepare a batch of omelets for a breakfast seemed like it was easy, not to mention fun. And now with entire networks dedicated to cooking, the originals can seem almost lackluster. But I will never forget the deep-seated inspiration the original TV food celebrities have given me.

The Food Network & Cooking Channel are now chock-full of celebrity chefs. Even PBS still has great food shows like Rick Bayless' Mexico: One Plate at a Time and the dining show, Check, Please!. If it wasn't for these networks, I would be cooking at home & dining out without a clue. Just last week I was inspired to try a recipe I saw on a TV show.

The inspiration came from celebrity chef Tyler Florence's show on the Cooking Channel named Tyler's Ultimate. The premise of the show is this: Tyler travels all over the world, in search of experts on a particular dish. At the end of the show, he returns home, and attempts to combine all of the great ideas he picked up on the road, and prepare his "ultimate" version of the dish. This episode brought him to Italy in search of the ultimate meatball recipe. I watched in awe as he studied with two great Italian chefs, and then returned home to create his own version of the classic. For his homecoming recipe, he chose to prepare baked meatballs with a simple, homemade tomato & mushroom sauce, and served them over creamy polenta. His meatballs were made of half beef & half pork with fresh herbs & chopped pine nuts mixed in. The balls were rolled in breadcrumbs, and then fried to seal them. They were then transferred to a baking dish, covered in the tomato & mushroom sauce, and then baked. The balls were then served over a creamy polenta made of corn meal, cream, butter & freshly grated parmesan. (The complete recipe can be found HERE.)

I'm glad I gave it a whirl. The result was amazing.

homemade HomeMade pizza

I have made pizzas at home before, but they always included mostly store-bought ingredients. I'd buy ready-to-use pizza dough from Trader Joe's, canned sauce from Jewel, etc. This time, however, I wanted to make a pizza from scratch.

And my inspiration for this pizza comes from HomeMade Pizza Co.

I first heard of HomeMade many years ago when I was still working in foodservice (this story brings us to the Lakeview neighborhood). We would do food trades (pizzas for burritos) with the location down the street from us quite often, and being the nice guy I am, I always gave the pies to my staff. The pizzas always looked really good, so when the chain recently opened a spot down the street from my apartment, I decided to give it a whirl for myself. The concept is simple: take-n-bake pizzas, salads & sweets - with everything made from all-natural ingredients. While it's neither the cheapest nor the best pizza in the neighborhood, it's got its place - especially when it comes to their choices for toppings. Santa Fe chicken sausage, poblano pepper, and fresh herbs are not choices at most of the places in the 'hood. One pizza on the menu in particular really stands out to me - the Sausage & Carmelized Onion. (I checked the HomeMade Pizza website, and noticed they spell it "carmelized." I always thought it was "caramelized." Anyone out there know which is correct?) Their description reads as follows:

"Already our signature pie. Our all-natural
Italian sausage, sweet caramelized onion,
Asiago cheese and a dash of sage top a bed of
HomeMade cheeses and our incredible ruby
tomato sauce."

(Now here they go and spell it, "caramelized." WTF?)

Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? And if you've had it for yourself, you know what I'm talking about. So I put my grocery list together, and set out to recreate my favorite HomeMade pizza... at home.

Here's what I needed:

For the dough:

• 3 1/2 cups flour (plus extra for dusting)
• 1 cup warm water (105-115°F)
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the sauce:

• 1 can (28-ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, in juice

• 1 small white or sweet onion, finely diced and minced

• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• Pinch salt

• Pinch fresh ground black pepper

• Pinch sugar, optional

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, to saute

For the caramelized onions:

• 1 medium onion, sliced (I used a red onion)
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil or butter
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper (optional)
• Pinch sugar (optional)

Additional ingredients:

• 1 lb loose Italian sausage (or links, casing removed)
• Fresh sage
• 1 lb Mozzarella cheese (I prefer sliced, but shredded will work)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Corn meal (for dusting)

Now to put it all together...

I started with the dough, since it requires the longest prep time. As I mentioned earlier, I used to just buy the ready to use stuff. The dough Trader Joe's sells is pretty good, and at the very least, it's consistent. There is no shame in using this, especially if time is an issue, however for this post I wanted to keep it as "homemade" as possible. The recipe used here is from a friend (thanks, Bonnie!). The directions she gave me require a food processor, which I do not own, so I converted the recipe to be prepared in a stand mixer. Here's my version: First combine the water & yeast in the mixing bowl with the dough hook attachment. Set to stir for a few seconds to mix, then turn it off, and let it hang out for a couple of minutes. You'll notice it start to bubble up a bit - that's a good thing; the yeast is activating. Now it's time to add 2 1/2 cups of the flower, as well as the honey, oil & salt. Set the mixer to speed 2, and let it mix for about a minute. Once mixed, add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Continue to mix on speed 2 until the dough clings to the hook & cleans the sides of the mixing bowl (approx. 2 mins). If dough seems too dry add more water, one tablespoon at a time. Conversely, if it seems too wet, try adding a little more flour, again, one tablespoon at a time. Continue to knead on speed two for an additional two minutes. Now place the dough ball in a greased bowl, spinning it around to grease the top. Cover with a clean, dry dish towel, and put it in a warm, draft-free place to rise. In 45 minutes to an hour, the dough will have doubled in size. Now it's time for the fun part - give the dough a good punch with your fist to deflate it. Cover it back up, and let it rise again for another hour to an hour and a half.

While the dough was rising, I started working on the other components of the pizza.

Caramelizing onions is easy - it just takes a little time. In a large skillet or sauce pan, heat the oil or butter over medium high heat (if using butter, use caution as it can burn easily). When the oil begins to ripple, it is ready. Add the onions, stirring to coat with the oil. Add a pinch of salt as well as the optional black pepper & sugar. The onion will begin sticking to the bottom of the pan, and start turning darker. Continue stirring - if the onions seem to be sticking too much, add a small amount of water or wine to the pan, and stir vigorously to deglaze. Continue the process of cooking & deglazing until the desired color and texture are obtained (approx. 20 minutes).

Onto the sauce. If your stand mixer has a food grinder attachment, put the canned tomatoes through, juice and all, following the manufacturer's directions. Otherwise you can just put the canned contents in a mixing bowl, and crush the tomatoes with a fork or your hands. In a 2-quart sauce pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions, and cook until just translucent. Add the garlic, and continue to cook for one minute. Now add the tomatoes all at once. Stir and bring to a simmer. Add the salt & pepper to taste, and add the basil, oregano, and the optional sugar. Reduce the heat, and simmer on low for at least 15 minutes. When finished, remove from heat & let cool. This can also be made ahead of time - just refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week.

Brown the sausage in a large skillet in a small amount of olive oil over medium-high heat. If the sausage is in links, remove the casing first. Continue cooking until the sausage is cooked through & crumbled. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Pick the leaves of the fresh sage, and wash & dry. Roll the leaves together tightly, and cut into thin strips.

Now it's time to roll the dough out. This recipe makes enough dough for two medium pizzas. Cut the dough in half. Form one of the halves into a flat ball by tucking the dough into itself from the top to bottom with your fingers. (If not being used, the other half can be refrigerated in an airtight container or ziplock-type bag for a few days or frozen for longer.) Place the newly formed ball on a flat surface that has been dusted with flour.

Starting at the outside, start pressing firmly around the perimeter working your way in toward the center. Once you have a flat disk, use a rolling pin to finish rolling it out. Start the rolling pin in the middle, and roll to the edge. Rotating the disk slightly between rolls will help keep a circular shape, but don't worry if it's not perfectly round, or the edges are jagged - just tell people you were going for a rustic look, and you'll score points with the hipster foodies. Work the dough until its as thick or as thin as you like it (1/8-1/4" thick). Transfer your dough to a pizza peel dusted with corn meal (or you can use the back side of a large pan or cookie sheet as I have done).

Using a large spoon or a ladle, scoop the sauce onto the dough, starting in the middle, and pushing out, leaving about 1/2" of the crust exposed. Don't use too much sauce, or you risk having a soggy pizza. Next put down a single layer of the sliced mozzarella cheese to cover the sauce. Finally, top with the sausage, caramelized onions & fresh sage. Brush a bit of extra virgin olive oil around the edge of the crust, being careful not to drag it into the sauce or toppings. Give the pizza peel or baking sheet a quick shake to make sure the pizza is loose and not sticking anywhere, and then slide it onto a pizza stone or pizza tray on the second-lowest rack of an oven that has been preheated to 425°F. Bake for 10-12 minutes (check after 8 minutes, and rotate if necessary). Remove when the crust is golden brown, and the cheese is bubbling. Transfer to a cutting board, and let cool for a few minutes (this is a good time to crack open a bottle of wine). Now you're ready to slice & enjoy your hard work!

Churros: The Best Tip I Ever Got

Anyone who knows me knows my love for churros. I do not remember the exact date I encountered my first churro, but I can tell you I was working the a.m. barista position at an establishment on the corner of Rush & Grand. A regular customer offered me one as a gesture of appreciation for the latte I had prepared for her. I was instantly hooked, and needless to say this customer never paid for another beverage on any of my shifts.

That was probably ten years ago.

This year, for my 36th birthday, my wife enrolled me in a class entitled, "Small Spanish Plates." I was ecstatic to learn that churros was on the list of dishes that we would be preparing (I also began to think that this may be a dangerous skill to acquire). And last night I made my first batch of the sweet treats. Here's the recipe I used:

CHURROS
Makes about 2 dozen 4" churros

For the dough:
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

--------------------------------

For the dough:
1) In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water, brown sugar, salt and butter to a boil.
2) Once the butter has melted, add the flour all at once.
3) Lower the heat to medium, and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough leaves the side of the pan, and forms a ball.
4) Continue cooking and stirring until the dough forms a crust along the sides and bottom of the pan.
5) Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a standing mixture fitted with a paddle attachment.
6) Beat on medium to release some of the steam.
7) Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. The dough will separate, then hold together again.
8) Fit a pastry bag with a 3/4" open star tip.
9) Fill the pastry bag no more than halfway. (You can always refill, but an overfilled pastry bag is hard to manipulate.)

FRY:
10) In a heavy saucepan, bring 2" of vegetable oil to 375°F over medium high.
11) Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl or dish, combine the topping ingredients, and set aside until needed.
12) Test the oil by placing a small amount of dough in it. The dough should bubble up right away. (If not, the oil is not ready, and you'll end up with a soggy greasy churro.)
13) When the oil is ready, pipe 4" lengths of dough into the oil, using your fingers (or kitchen scissors) to break off the dough. CAREFUL! Depending on the pan size, you should be able to fit 4 or 5 churros without crowding.
14) Fry until golden, about 1 minute, then turn/flip, and cook for an additional minute or two until cooked through. The churro should be an even golden brown on all sides, and cooked throughout.
15) Remove the churros with a spider or slotted spoon to a wire rack placed on a cookie sheet.
16) While still warm, roll each churro in the cinnamon sugar mixture until coated, shaking off the excess.
17) Continue with the remaining batter.

These are best served with Mexican hot chocolate, which I will post the recipe for at a later date.

This is a test...

...of the emergency broadcast system.