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Explore Recipes Sides & Salads Page 30

Sicilian-Style Meatballs

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Sicilian-style meatballs can be distinguished from others by the unexpected but delightful addition of currants and pine nuts. While many traditional cooks fry their meatballs on the stovetop before simmering them in tomato sauce, we prefer to bake ours on a wire rack positioned over a rimmed sheet pan. (The meatballs retain their shape and clean-up is easier.) Enjoy as is, or serve over pasta.

Ingredients

  • Two 28-ounce cans peeled Italian tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 slices of white sandwich bread, crusts removed
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano or basil
  • 2 pounds ground beef chuck
  • 1/2 cup dried currants
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
  • 1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs, or more as needed

Directions

Step 1

Pour the tomatoes into a large enameled cast-iron casserole and crush them. Add the 1/4 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil (for easier clean-up) and place an oiled cooling rack on top.

Step 2

Meanwhile, in a bowl, soak the bread in water until saturated. Squeeze out the water and transfer the bread to a large bowl. Mash the bread to a paste and stir in the eggs, garlic, parsley, marjoram, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Mash until smooth. Add the ground beef, currants, pine nuts, and cheese and mix until combined. Add the bread crumbs,
1 tablespoon at a time, and knead gently until the mixture is firm enough to roll.

Step 3

Form the mixture into balls, tucking in the currants and pine nuts. It helps to wet your hands with cold water before forming the meatballs. Arrange on the wire cooling rack. Refrigerate the meatballs while you preheat the
oven to 375°F. (If desired, you can also freeze the meatballs on the
rack; transfer them to a sturdy resealable plastic bag when they are solid. Thaw before baking. The sauce can also be frozen.)

Step 4

When ready to cook, place the meatballs (still on the cooling rack/sheet pan set-up) in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Add the meatballs
to the sauce and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Serve in shallow bowls with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano and olive oil on the side.

Serves 4 to 6 generously — Recipe adapted from Food and Wine, September 2007

Italian Chopped Salad

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Like an Italian deli in a bowl, this salad combines colorful greens with crispy roasted chickpeas, salami, and provolone. The original recipe was heavy on radicchio and endive, both of which can be bitter. We tamed them with the addition of romaine hearts and added tangy pepperoncini as an option. Substantial enough to serve as a light lunch or supper.

Ingredients

  • 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • One 14.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and drained again
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled, divided use
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • 3 tablespoons good-quality red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 hearts of romaine, cored and sliced
  • 1 head radicchio, cored and sliced
  • 1 head endive, thinly sliced
  • 3 ounces sliced provolone cheese, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 3 ounces cured fennel salami, thinly sliced, then cut into half-moons
  • 6 pepperoncini, stemmed and sliced crosswise (optional)

Directions

Step 1

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Add the chickpeas and 1 garlic clove; season with salt. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the chickpeas are browned and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, whisk the vinegar, honey, mustard, red pepper flakes, and the remaining 5 tablespoons of oil in a large serving bowl to combine. Finely chop half of remaining garlic clove (discard the rest unless you really like garlic) and add to the dressing; season with salt and black pepper.

Step 3

Add the romaine, radicchio, endive, provolone, salami, and pepperoncini, if using, to the dressing and toss to coat; season with salt. Add the chickpeas and toss again to combine.

Serves 4 to 6 — Recipe adapted from bonappetit.com

Patatas Aliñadas (Dressed Potatoes)

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This classic tapas dish also makes a fantastic lunch or a light dinner!

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds potatoes, boiled and cooled
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, such as Pedro Ximénez Reserve 
  • Coarse salt to taste
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
  • 8 ounces tuna (canned or freshly grilled)
Step 1

Directions

Slice the potatoes into rounds, and place in a large shallow bowl.

Step 2

Top with the onions, parsley, oil, and vinegar, and toss very lightly to avoid breaking the potatoes.

Step 3

Sprinkle with salt, and then top with the eggs and tuna. Serve cold.

Yields 8 tapas or 4 main-dish servings.

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Day Stuffing

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

The blend of sweet and hot sausage means a taste explosion in every bite. (Of course, if you prefer your stuffing to be on the milder side, you can use 2 pounds of sweet sausage only.) Though we still call it “stuffing,” the safest and tastiest way to bake it is in its own dish—you’ll get the crispy top that everyone loves over the greatest surface area too. 

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the baking pan
  • 2 large onions, peeled and diced
  • 3 stalks celery, trimmed and sliced thin (leaves are OK)
  • 1 pound mushrooms, thickly sliced
  • 1 pound each, sweet and hot sausage
  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme or the leaves of a sprig of fresh thyme
  • ½ cup sweet vermouth
  • 1 French baguette or crusty Italian bread, cut into small cubes
  • 3 to 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 8 tablespoons salted butter, cut into half-inch cubes

Directions

Step 1

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil and then the onions and celery, sautéing the vegetables until soft. Push them to the outer rim of the pan, and sauté the mushrooms in batches to avoid crowding them. Next add the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Continue cooking the meat until no pink is visible. Add the pine nuts and thyme, and cook for another minute. Pour in the vermouth, stir, and cook for another minute or two, loosening any bits on the bottom of the pan.

Step 2

Place the bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl, and fold in the sausage and vegetable mixture. Moisten with the broth, adding one cup at a time—the mixture should be very wet but not runny. Fold in the eggs. 

Step 3

Grease a deep 13″ by 9″ baking pan with olive oil, and pour the stuffing mixture into the pan, leaving about 1″ clearance from the top—it will bubble up as it bakes. (Use two baking dishes if necessary.) Dot the surface of the stuffing with the butter cubes, and cover with foil, making a fairly tight seal. Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes, taking the foil off for the last 15 minutes to brown the top, if needed. The stuffing will keep warm out of the oven with the foil back in place for up to an hour.