I had planned on taking care of all of the food on my own while Chuck relaxed. He couldn't help putting in his input and it couldn't have worked out better... Even if I was giving him the evil eye as I was mashing the meatballs together and he was pouring additional things into the bowl.
Here are links to the original recipes, below the links you'll see my (aka: our) spin:
Amazing Chicken Parm Meatballs
http://www.daydreamkitchen.com/2012/12/amazing-chicken-parm-meatballs/
Canastitas Caprese
http://www.hispanickitchen.com/profiles/blogs/canastitas-caprese-open-faced-empanadas-with-tomato-basil-and
There is a real lack of pictures to accompany this deliciousness and unfortunately I didn't take pictures of any the steps I took making the meatballs. By the time I realized how good they were they were all devoured. Yes, that good.
Parmesan Meatballs
Ingredients
1.25 lbs Ground pork (I couldn't find ground chicken, and why not substitute pork?!)
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1 T Fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 c. Grated parmesan
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 t Italian seasoning
1 t Dried minced onion
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Zest from 1/2 a lemon
2 Eggs
1/4 c. 2% milk
Drizzle of olive oil
4 oz. Mozzarella, in small, thin slices
1/4 c. Shredded Parmesan
Marinara sauce (I used the marinara sauce I made the night before)
Directions
1: Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2: In a medium bowl, mix together the pork, breadcrumbs, parsley, grated parmesan,
garlic, Italian seasoning, lemon zest, eggs, milk. Add a sprinkle of Kosher salt
and fresh ground pepper.
3: Form meatballs about 1" in diameter and place on a baking sheet covered in
non-stick foil. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper over
the whole tray of meatballs.
Tip from Chuck: Use some olive oil on your hands when forming the meatballs
to make it a little easier.
4: Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer the meatballs to a
baking dish. Pour about 2 cups of marinara sauce over the meatballs, then add
a pinch of shredded parmesan cheese to the top of each meatball, topped with a
small slice of mozzarella and place back into the oven until the cheese is melted.
5: Serve with tooth picks or forks. We used forks to make it easier to scoop up some
of the marinara with the meatballs.
My favorite part of this appetizer's taste was the lemon zest. It was excellent.
Modified Canastitas Caprese
Disclaimer: the grocery store I went to for supplies did not carry empanada shells and were out of wonton wrappers. I was out of ideas. One of the men working in the deli area suggested uncooked flour tortillas. I bought them with NO IDEA how I was going to put this all together. Here's what we did:
Ingredients:
4 Large, uncooked flour tortillas (found them next to the refrigerated salsas)
3 Small tomatoes, diced
6 oz. Mozarella, diced
10 Fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
2 Eggs
Kosher salt
Marinara sauce for dipping/topping
Directions
1: Preheat over to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with non stick foil.
2: Prepare the cheese, tomatoes, and basil.
3: Cut the tortillas into quarters (I did one tortilla at a time because if they get dried
out they don't seal well)
4: Put some cheese, tomatoes, and basil on the tortilla piece, fold in half so it looks like
a slice of pizza and use a fork to seal up the edges. Place on the foil lined baking
sheet.
5: Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and brush the tray of "canastitas" with the egg wash.
Dust with a light sprinkle of Kosher salt and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
6: Serve on a plate with a side of warmed marinara sauce.
We made lots of good food this weekend. More great recipes are on the way!
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