WELCOME TO OUR KITCHEN: We're making meatballs!

Cooking with Bruce and Mark

Who doesn't love meatballs? Well, maybe Mark, as you'll hear. But we're making meatballs even Mark will eat!

We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, the authors of three dozen cookbooks and tens of thousands of original recipes. We've been in the food business for almost twenty-five years. This is our podcast about our passions: food and cooking.

Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:

[00:32] Our one-minute cooking tip: Try roasting white chocolate for a deeper, more caramelized flavor.

[02:48] We’re making meatballs! Here's the recipe:

Start by soaking 1/2 cup or 45 grams FRESH bread crumbs in 1/4 cup or 60 milliliters milk (of any sort) for about 20 minutes in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl you'll use with an electric mixer.

Crumble in 1 pound or 450 grams lean ground beef, 1 pound or 450 grams sweet Italian sausage meat (no casings), 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons dried minced parsley, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix at low speed until well and evenly combined.

Clean and dry your hands, then oil them with olive oil. Form the meat mixture into 12 balls, each about the size of a golf ball.

Put them on a lipped baking sheet and roast in a 375F or 190C convection or fan-on oven until brown, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop 1 small yellow or white onion (peeled), 1 large cubanelle or Italian frying pepper (stemmed and seeded), and 2 medium garlic cloves (peeled).

Warm 3 tablespoons or 45 milliliters of olive oil in a Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon chopped FRESH rosemary leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon anchovy paste. Stir until fragrant, then add the chopped vegetables. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add 1 pound or 450 grams sliced brown button or cremini mushrooms plus 1/2 teaspoon table salt. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms give off their moisture and evaporates to a glaze, about 5 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup or 120 milliliters of dry vermouth, dry white wine, dry sherry, or unsweetened apple juice. Scrape up all the brown bits, then pour in one 24 1/2-ounce or 700-gram jar of tomato passata, preferably the Mutti brand. Fill the jar of Mutti with water, swirl it around to get every speck of passata, and pour it into the pot as well.

Bring to a simmer, add the browned meatballs, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally but very gently.

To finish off, add 12 torn-up FRESH basil leaves and lots of ground black pepper. Taste for salt and dish it up.

[17:53] What’s making us happy in food this week: Santa Rosa plums and ice cream.