The Meatball Shop's Vegetarian 'Meatballs' in a Classic Tomato Sauce

The other day I caught a re-run of "Comfort Food" on Unique Eats. The show included Buttermilk Channel (excellent), Shake Shack (long lines), Bark Hot Dogs (haven't been) and The Meatball Shop (do they have any vegetarian fare? Yes!).   

The Meatball Shop's slogan is "We Make Balls" and indeed they do. I was over-the-moon when I found out that their repertoire included a vegetarian option, one which is packed with mushrooms and lentils. 

I checked some of the reviews online and they were solid- very, very solid. The eatery had over 647 reviews on yelp (not necessarily the most discerning reviewers- but still), averaging 4 1/2 stars, so I thought I should check it out... 

"But hold your horses," I said to myself. "Could they accommodate small children? Do they have highchairs? Will I have to stand on line all day?" 

A few of my friends went to The Meatball Shop for lunch the other day and they reported back that is was definitely NOT kid-friendly. In large part this was due to the lines, which were over an hour (though they will call your cell if you want to wander off to a local watering hole). I was bummed out. 

But three-cheers for the internet because I found their recipe on Martha Stewart's Radio Blog. And so, without further ado, here are The Meatball Shop's Mushroom and Lentil Balls (presented by Daniel Holzman, the executive chef and co-owner).  This is the perfect choice for Meatless Monday. Enjoy!

[Note: While these take some time to make you can easily prepare the dish in parts...]

The Meatball Shop's Vegetarian Meatballs (Courtesy of Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow, by way of Martha Stewart Radio Blog)

Makes 24 golf ball-sized balls (You can easily halve this recipe)

Ingredients

2 cups lentils

1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

2 carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)

2 celery stalks, minced (about 1 cup)

2 teaspoons salt

1 clove garlic, minced

4 sprigs thyme, picked (about 1 tbsp.)

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)

1/2 bunch parsley, chopped (about 1⁄2 cup)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

3 eggs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine the lentils with two quarts of water in a medium-sized stock pot and bring to a boil over a high flame.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the lentils are soft but not falling apart (about 25 minutes-- mine took a bit longer).  Strain the lentils through a colander and allow to cool.

3. Sauté the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, thyme, and salt with 1/4-cup of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, stirring frequently (about ten minutes). When the vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown, add the tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring constantly for three minutes. 

Add the mushrooms and continue cooking, stirring frequently for fifteen more minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan and allow to cool.

4. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl with the cooled vegetables and lentils and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated. 

5. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil into a large baking dish (9x12), making sure to evenly coat the entire surface (use your hand to help spread the oil).

6. Place the mixture in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely (about 25 minutes). Roll the mixture into round, golf ball-sized meatballs making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls into the oiled baking dish, such that all of the meatballs are lined up evenly in rows and are touching each of their four neighbors in a grid.

7. Roast until firm and cooked through (about 30 minutes). Allow the meatballs to cool for five minutes before removing.

I topped the balls with classic tomato sauce (recipe below), some grated Parmesan and a bit of chopped parsley. 

* * *

Classic Tomato Sauce (Courtesy of The Meatball Shop by way of Martha Stewart Radio)

Makes 7 cups


Ingredients


1 yellow onion, small dice (about 1 1/2 cups)


1 bay leaf (fresh or dry)


1 sprig fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp. dry)


2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped


2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp. salt


Two 28-oz. cans tomatoes, chopped (preferably San Marzano)


Directions

Cook the onions with the olive oil, oregano, bay leaf, garlic, and salt over medium heat in a large pot (12-quart pot), stirring constantly until soft and translucent (about 15 minutes).
Add the tomato paste and continue cooking for five minutes.
Add the canned tomatoes and stir constantly until the sauce begins to boil.
Continue cooking for 1 hour, stirring ever four or five minutes so that the sauce does not burn. Season with extra salt to taste. 

Kat's Three Citrus Marmalade with Smoked Salt

I've got lots of friends who love to cook, but a few of them are truly exceptional. They take it to the next level...like my friend Kathryn. She could easily open up her own restaurant if she wanted to quit her day job. She has a culinary instinct that is unmatched and her annual six-course dinner has become legendary at my husband's place of work.  
You can imagine, then, how delighted I was when Kat sent me a little mason jar filled with Three Citrus Marmalade with Smoked Salt. It was absolutely delicious. I put it on a wonderful french bread I picked up at Colson's Patisserie. She paired it with a buttermilk scone.  Either way, you can't go wrong. Toast and marmalade make for a perfect breakfast or tea-time treat. This is also a great way to use seasonal winter citrus before local spring and summer fruits start coming onto the scene. 
Kat kindly let me post her recipe here, which is an adaptation of a Eugenie Bone recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...
Kat In Her Own Words:  
"Last weekend's little project was a collision of two marmalade recipes: Eugenia Bone's Three Citrus Marmalade, but with a smoked salt twist inspired by Anarchy In a Jar's Grapefruit Marmalade with Smoked Salt.
The resulting marmalade is a lovely, bright spread with the sweetness of Meyer lemons, the tartness of grapefruit and a slight bitterness that's balanced by a mild smoke flavor. Neither too bitter nor too sweet, I've been eating this every chance I can get! And I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to make another batch sometime very, very soon. Even though citrus isn't local, it certainly is seasonal, and I want to make sure that I'll have enough of this perfect marmalade to keep my pantry stocked all year long!"


Three Citrus Marmalade with Smoked Salt
adapted from Well-Preserved by Eugenia Bone
Yields a little more than 4 half-pints
2 grapefruits, pink or red
4 oranges (I used navel)
3 Meyer lemons
4 to 5 cups of sugar
1/2 t. unsalted butter
1/2 t. smoked sea salt

Peel the skin off of one orange and two lemons with a vegetable peeler and use the back of a knife to scrape off as much as you can of the white pith. Cut the cleaned rinds into thin matchsticks, then put them into a saucepan with 3 cups of water and cook over medium heat until tender. (About 20 to 25 minutes.)

Meanwhile, peel the remaining fruits. Cut them in half through the middle to remove seeds, then coarsely chop the oranges and lemons. For the grapefruit, cut supremes by slicing the flesh from between the membranes with a sharp paring knife. Measure the resulting fruit pulp and juice mixture - I had about four cups altogether. You'll want to match the amount of sugar to the amount of pulp; so for four cups of fruit, use four cups of sugar. If your yield is closer to five cups, use five cups of sugar.

Add the pulp, sugar, softened rinds and their cooking water to a large, heavy pot. (I used my IKEA dutch oven.) Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer. (The original recipe suggests that this will take about 30 minutes; I found that it was more like 45 minutes, and required the heat being turned up to medium during the last 15 minutes.)

When the marmalade reaches 220 degrees, remove it from the heat and add the smoked sea salt. Continue to stir for three or four minutes while marmalade cools to insure proper distribution of the peels and pulp.

This recipe yields a little bit more than four half-pints of marmalade. If you're heat processing your marmalade for shelf-stability, jars should be processed for ten minutes. Otherwise, refrigerate cooled marmalade and eat within a week.

Ina's Roasted Potato Leek Soup with Crispy Shallots

I feel like climbing on my fire-escape and screaming "Hallelujah!" Spring is finally in the air and the winter doldrums are slowly being washed away by mild temperatures and extended sunlight. Thank goodness. I'm no meteorologist, nor am I a climatologist, but I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say that this has been a particularly difficult and harsh winter. After Snowmaggedon I and II, frigid temps and an ice storm, things are starting to look up. This past Friday it was 67 degrees and I spent over two hours at the Harmony playground in Prospect Park. Everyone in the park was in a cheerful mood. Which, I hate to say, is rare for this part of Brooklyn.
Mild temperatures yield spring vegetables such as ramps(sometimes called wild leeks), spring onions, garlic scapes, and scallion. I'm really excited about eating more local and seasonal produce (we just got a membership in the Greenwood Heights CSA) and having a more varied diet. For the past few months I've been eating pasta, lentils, beans, carrots and potatoes. Every winter I pretty much eat my body weight in potatoes, and I'm not even Irish. Sometimes I pick up something seasonal like winter citrus (see Avocado and Grapefruit Salad) or a squash. But for the most part, my consumption of fresh fruits and veggies decreases substantially over the winter (as is the case for most people, I think). And things are about to change...
Leeks are in season from October through May, and I found some gorgeous leeks at the market so I decided to make this soup. This soup has a hearty winter feel, but also has hints of spring and the flavors to come. 

Though I can't consume much wine these days (my second pregnancy is underway), I think this soup would go well with my new favorite Chardonnay from the C. Donatiello Winery. We were given a bottle as a gift when we left our apartment in Prospect Heights, and it was absolutely delicious.
Anyway, enjoy this soup and give yourself a pat on the back for surviving the winter. And then get ready to move those clocks forward...

Roasted Potato Leek Soup (Courtesy of Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa) 

Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned of all sand (4 leeks)
1/4 cup good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed
1/2 cup dry white wine, plus extra for serving
6 to 7 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (I used organic, low-sodium vegetable stock)
3/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces creme fraiche
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Crispy Shallots, recipe follows, optional

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine the potatoes and leeks on a sheet pan in a single layer. Add the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, turning them with a spatula a few times during cooking, until very tender. Add the arugula and toss to combine. Roast for 4 to 5 more minutes, until the arugula is wilted. Remove the pan from the oven and place over 2 burners. Stir in the wine and 1 cup of the chicken stock and cook over low heat, scraping up any crispy roasted bits sticking to the pan.
In batches, transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor fitted with the steel blade, adding the pan liquid and about 5 cups of the chicken stock to make a puree. Pour the puree into a large pot or Dutch oven. Continue to puree the vegetables in batches until they're all done and combined in the large pot. Add enough of the remaining 1 to 2 cups of stock to make a thick soup. Add the cream, creme fraiche, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and check the seasonings.
When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently and whisk in 2 tablespoons white wine and 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Serve hot with an extra grating of Parmesan and crispy shallots, if using.

Crispy Shallots:
1 1/2 cups olive oil or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 to 6 shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings
Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it reaches 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
Reduce the heat to low, add the shallots, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until they are a rich golden brown. The temperature should stay below 260 degrees F. Stir the shallots occasionally to make sure they brown evenly. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon, drain well, and spread out to cool on paper towels. Once they have dried and crisped, they can be stored at room temperature, covered, for several days.

Yield: about 1/2 cup

Dum Aloo: Whole Potatoes in Spicy Yogurt Gravy

I'm leaving my comfort zone and hoping to release my inner Gandhi, with a little help from Julie Sahni. Today I'll make some Indian food...at home. This is a giant culinary leap.

I've been cooking for a few years now and for some reason nothing makes me more nervous (in the kitchen) than cooking Indian food. Okay, that's a bit hyperbolic. There are more serious things that make me nervous in the kitchen. Say, for example, having another burn incident (courtesy of a butternut squash and apple soup) or a knife slippage accident (courtesy of panzanella). Ouch!

But making my own Indian food is definitely something that has caused me to pause and required me to harness a good deal of self confidence. The food consumed by over 1 billion people has intimidated me, until now.

I know many seasoned cooks who have also shied away from making even the most basic sub-continent dishes. But why? Is it the cumin, mustard or coriander seeds? The ghee? The quintessential Indian spice--garam masala--that scares them away? Or is it the fear that the stews, sauces, and soups take way too much time and effort?

Maybe it's all of the above. Maybe it's the combination of unfamiliar ingredients and the fact that Indian food seems very complex to make at home.

But I feel like I've been missing out. Indian food has some of the most varied vegetarian options in the world and it's also one of my most favorite cuisines. Yet for years I have stubbornly refused to make it in my own kitchen, opting for Delhi Palace or Rasoi buffets instead. 
Thank goodness for Julie Sahni. She is one of the premiere cooking instructors for Indian food and some of her books are in their 42nd edition. She's pretty serious. I decided to start with her recipe for Whole Potatoes in a Spicy Yogurt Gravy (Dum Aloo).  Malai kofta, stuffed dosas and saag paneer will have to wait for another day...and a bit more self-confidence.  But until then  आप का खाना स्वादिष्ट हो (Bon Appetit). 

Whole Potatoes in Spicy Yogurt Gravy, Dum Aloo (Courtesy of Julie Sahni: Classic Indian Cooking)
Serves 6-8 
Ingredients
12 even-sized small boiling potatoes, such as red wax (about 2 pounds)
7 tablespoons Indian vegetable shortening, or light vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions (about 1 1/2 onions)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger root
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper (I went with 1/2)
1 teaspoon Mughal garam masala
2 cups chopped or pureed fresh tomatoes, or 1 cup canned tomato sauce (I pureed 1 cup of plain diced tomatoes)
2/3 cup plain yogurt
4 teaspoons Kosher salt
2/3 cup heavy cream


Directions

1. Peel potatoes and prick them with a skewer or knife in 4 or 5 places.  Put them in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to cook them.
2. Heat 5 tablespoons of shortening or oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat.  When the oil is very hot, drain the potatoes, pat them dry on paper towels (I used a clean dish cloth), and add.  Fry them until they acquire several tiny browned spots and a crust (about 8-10 minutes), turning and tossing them to ensure even browning.  *This is an essential step, as the browning prevents the potatoes' falling apart during prolonged cooking.*  With a slotted spoon, transfer them to a bowl.
3. Add the rest of the shortening or oil to the pan along with the onions.  Fry until the onions turn caramel brown (about 15 minutes), stirring constantly so that they do not burn.  Add ginger, and fry for an additional 1/2 minute.  Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, red pepper, and garam masala all at once, and stir rapidly for 15 seconds.  Add tomatoes, yogurt, salt and the fried potatoes (in one layer), and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer very gently, covered, for 35 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked.   (Do not let the gravy stick and burn.  If the gravy looks thin and runny, increase heat and then reduce once desired consistency is achieved.  If the gravy is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water.
4. Add cream, stir, and simmer until heated through.  Check for salt and serve. 

Note:  This dish improves with keeping.  For best results, make a few hours before you are going to serve it.  It can be refrigerated for up to 4 days without loss of flavor.

You can make another dish to serve alongside the potatoes such as lentils with garlic butter, mung beans with mustard seed, stir-fried Okra or salad.  I served it with some left-over sesame patties and yogurt with a side salad.  Delish!!

Looking for Spices? Many speciality stores have online ordering in case you are looking for spices that are hard to find in your neighborhood. Here in New York, Kalustyans is a great resource for spices, grains and nut purchases. You can also try Sahadi's on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, though they specialize primarliy in Middle Eastern/Mediterranean spices. I like the Patel Brothers location on 74th Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens. Jackson Heights has the distinction of being the most diverse zip code on the planet (it's believed that 167 languages are spoken here) and you can find everything you need to prepare a fabulous Indian meal. 

Revolutionary Food: Koshary (Kushary) El Tahrir

The most recent issue of Saveur features the "Chef 100," whereby 100 hundred well-known chefs gave readers their suggestions on food, restaurants, cooking utensils, cookbooks and unique ingredients. Though Anita Lo probably doesn't have a direct line to the newsroom, she recommended koshary - a vegetarian dish from Egypt that features pasta, lentils, chickpeas and onions. (It tastes wonderful when topped with tomato sauce and vinegar.) The koshary recipe she recommended originates from a little cafe in Cairo's Tahrir Square.  This is what Anita said about the ultimate Egyptian street food:

"Served in a plastic or metal bowl, the food is many shades of brown: a mixture of toasted pasta, rice, lentils, chickpeas, and fried onions — perhaps a staff meal creation of some hippie distance runner just enrolled at the Natural Gourmet cooking school. But pour on a little of the garlic-vinegar and tomato-pepper sauces that sit on every table, and you've got some seriously delicious comfort food. Complex, earthy flavors from the legumes mingle with toasty, nutty pasta and the rich, caramelized sweetness from the onions, all offset by the zingy sauces."

I was curious. I was also feeling somewhat humbled because I had never heard of koshary. How did I miss this popular Middle Eastern staple? I eat tons of Palestinian food and I'm very familiar with Lebanese, Syrian, Israeli (this recipe), Iraqi and Moroccan dishes. I guess Egypt's cuisine flew under my radar. My only exposure to Egyptian food was at Ali's Kebab Cafe in New York's Little Egypt on Steinway Street in Queens. (The Kebab Cafe features Alexandrian cuisine, so in addition to kebabs and meze platters, there are also dishes that infuse Greek and French influences - which is appropriate for a city with a history like Alexandria.)  I remember what we ate and koshary wasn't even on the menu (which is delivered orally).  
Well now I'm in-the-know. Here is one of Egypt's most famous street foods and my attempt to try something new...
Let's hope the revolution in the streets of Cairo (and throughout the country) help bring a vibrant and transparent democracy to the people of Egypt.

KOSHARY EL TAHRIR (Published in Saveur Magazine) 
SERVES 4—6
Ingredients
4 oz. ditalini or macaroni, cooked
2 oz. spaghetti, cooked
4 oz. brown lentils, rinsed
Kosher salt, to taste
1 cup cooked basmati rice (optional)
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
2 cups canola oil
1/4 cup flour
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes (I used an organic pureed tomato sauce because I prefer that texture) 
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
Preparation
Combine ditalini and spaghetti in a bowl; set aside. Put lentils and 4 cups water into a 2-qt. saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, 20 minutes. Season lentils with salt, drain, and transfer to a bowl along with rice and chickpeas; set aside.
Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Put flour into a bowl, add onions, and toss to coat. Working in 2 batches, add onions to hot oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer onions to paper towels to drain; reserve oil.
Spoon 4 tbsp. oil from skillet into a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, cumin, cayenne, and ginger; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and vinegar and bring to a simmer; cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and remove from heat. To serve, divide pasta mixture between 4 bowls; top with lentil mixture and fried onions. Spoon tomato sauce over each bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature.