Big Ballers

Last week when I got home Wednesday evening I just wasn't feeling the cooking vibe. But for once I made myself stick to the program and I got my butt in the kitchen after being lazy for about 30 minutes. Just long enough to enjoy a Designing Women re-run, ha. On the menu were Rosemary Meatballs and Penne with Broccoli. Unfortunately I assumed that one of the 5 packages of pasta in my pantry was surely filled with penne. You know what happens when you assume. You use bow-tie pasta instead, ha. And I was tempted to just toss together a general approximation of the meatballs, but I made myself follow the recipe. I'm quite glad I did too, cause these were really excellent.

Rosemary Meatballs
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4












8 oz. ground beef chuck
8 oz. ground pork
1.5 cups panko
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups homemade or store-bought tomato sauce

• In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, panko, egg, garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix just until combined (do not overmix.) Using a level 1/4 cup measure for each, form mixture into 12 meatballs.
• Heat oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium-high. Add meatballs; cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Tilt skillet away from you, and pour in tomato sauce. Bring sauce to a boil over medium-high; reduce heat to medium. Cover, and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve meatballs and sauce, garnished with more rosemary, if desired.

My notes: The only thing I did differently with the meatballs is I used all beef because I happened to have just over a pound in the freezer already. I also only cooked half of the meatballs for our dinner. While forming the meatballs I placed them on wax paper and after putting our dinner's worth in the skillet I put the meatballs still on the paper onto a baking sheet and flash froze them for 30 minutes. I then placed them in a freezer bag so we can enjoy them later. For the bow-tie & broccoli I just added some frozen broccoli for the last few minutes of cooking the pasta. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the water. Then toss the pasta and broccoli with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese, and add reserved water as needed to create a light sauce. I topped it with a little more shredded parmesan.