Meatballs 4.0

Sometimes I surprise myself. I did a quick search on MM before drafting this blog post and found that I have featured the topic of meatballs here, here, and here. Hope you're not "over" the meatball because I HAVE to share another meatball recipe with you. You're just going to have to trust me on this one - let me lead you into the kitchen, I promise not to disappoint you.

Meatballs are one of this dishes that are either fantastic or disappointing. There is little room for anything else in between, however, after listening to Molly and Matthew's recent Spilled Milk podcast all about meatballs, I was inspired to make a batch.  Molly referred to a recipe in her book for Mediterranean style meatballs served a yogurt sauce and immediately I sprung into the kitchen to look it up.

What I loved about this recipe is how flexible and easily interchangeable it is when it comes to ingredients.  Don't have cilantro, but got parsley, substitute. Not a raisin fan, go ahead and substitute with dried cranberries.  The recipe calls for golden raisins, but I used dried cranberries instead. The original recipe calls for 1 lb. ground lamb, turkey or chicken - I did half and half, lamb and ground turkey.  Again, whatever your pleasure. The world is your oyster or in this case, a meatball or two.  The result is one mouthful of unctuous, sweet, earthy and nutty meat. I will wait for applause on this one.

Enjoy.

Doran's Meatballs with Pine Nuts, Cilantro and Dried Cranberries (adapted from Molly Wizenberg's recipe in A Homemade Life)

For yogurt sauce:
1 c. plain Greek yogurt
3 tbs. lemon juice
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt 


For Meatballs:
1/2 c. yellow onion
1/4 c. fresh cilantro
1/2 c. pine nuts
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. fine bread crumbs
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 lb. ground lamb
1/2 lb. ground turkey, dark meat
2-4 tbs. olive oil


First, make the yogurt sauce.  Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Allow the flavors to marry together.  You won't be sorry.


Using a food processor, pulse together the onion, cilantro, pine nuts and dried cranberries. In a large bowl or stand-up mixer, combine the ground meats, onion mixture, bread crumbs, beaten egg, salt, cumin, and pepper. Mix until combined, but do your best not to overmix, meat tends to get tough easily. With damp hands, use a small spoon or hands to take a small hunk of meat and form 1-1 1/2 inch balls.  Set aside on a large plate.


Warm 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat.  Add about half of the meatballs (be careful not to overcrowd the pan) and brown them on all sides. The meatballs are ready when they are evenly browned and feel pleasantly firm, but not rock hard.  Transfer the cooked meatballs to a paper towel lined plate. Then repeat with second half of the batch, you may or may not have to use more oil, your call.  Trust your culinary instinct.


Serve warm with the yogurt sauce.

Honest writing.

I shared this through e-mail with friends who are writers, visual artists, sonic artists, and creators by nature, but I realized this is something I'd like my friends in cyberland to also check out. If you have followed Madame Munchies for a while, you know I think the world of Molly Wizenberg, food writer extraordinaire and the creative force behind the blog, Orangette. While the topic speaks to her own struggle to write I think the theme permeates throughout all of our journeys, escpecially for those who create. If you have some time, snuggle up with your favorite mug of tea/coffee or other beverage and soak this post in. You won't regret it.

This very topic has been of particular interest to me for quite some time - I find myself wanting to spend more time creating, whether it's writing, singing, playing the piano, making food, working on new zine ideas, knitting, etc. but have chosen to spend my free time doing other things instead (for various reasons, my friends). But I've noticed too that when I do create, my overall outlook and mood is much more positive. Reading this post also nudges me to finally read Bird by Bird. Thought this was kinda odd, considering I was discussing Anne Lamott over the weekend with some new pals at a BBQ. Coincidence?!? I think not.

Cabbage Cravin'.

I've tooted the horns of Molly Wizenberg and Matthew Amster-Burton's radio program, Spilled Milk. The topic of the last episode was spouseless eating and Molly mentioned that she braises a lot of veggies, and cabbage is one her favorites. And while I'm temporarily spouseless, I thought I'd give this recipe a whirl. I adore braising, it's so effortless and all it requires is good ingredients.

Braised Cabbage with Apples and Caraway Seeds is a super simple recipe - red cabbage, diced red onion, shredded tart apple, apple cider vinegar, salt, honey and caraway seeds. Braise for an hour and voila, something sweet and a lil' zingy too. So good solo, but Molly recommended serving it with pork chops or a grilled cheese with sharp cheddar. I think it would also be a great side dish along with a farro salad.

Muffin Mania.

I guess you could say I've been on a "muffin" roll this month. Last week Molly Wizenberg of Orangette featured a post on ginger muffins from Marion Cunningham's book entitled The Breakfast Book (which I am squeamishly trying to be patient for as I placed it on "hold" at the library). In the meantime, though I was pleasantly pooped after attending a book club meeting, Sunday evening I made a batch of these spicy and energetic little muffins.

At first I was a bit concerned with the amount of fresh ginger used in the recipe. I kept reminding myself, that if Molly used that amount, I should use the same amount too. Trust Molly, trust Molly, trust Molly. After this mini-meditation, I plowed through the simple recipe and this is how they turned out:

Allowing them to cool, I sliced one muffin in half and slathered some softened butter on top each half. I have to say it wasn't what I was expecting. Though the batter included a substantial amount of ginger, it wasn't over the top (or over the muffin top, if you're up for a pun). They definitely had a kick to them, but they were bursting with citrus and spice notes (an not overly sweet, which I like). Easy to see why popping another two into your mouth takes no effort. The batter could easily be turned into a quick bread too. Accompanied with a cold glass of milk, these muffins are a great way to start your day or start someone else's day. Consider serving them at a brunch or party as a dessert too.

Smashing, Dahling, Simply Smashing....

Have you listened to Spilled Milk podcasts yet? If you haven't, you're in for a real treat and if you have, then you already have experienced the charm and wit behind Molly Wizenberg and Matthew Amster-Burton's wildly fun and devout foodie podcasts. I've been catching up on past episodes while cleaning my house and when it came time for the Crispy Potato episode, I was in tater-heaven.

Featured above, is the Smashed Roasted Potatoes (adapted from a recipe featured in a 2007 issue of Fine Cooking). I just happened to have purchased a bag of teeny tiny baby potatoes on my last Trader Joe's run, so it was an easy excuse to give this recipe a try. It requires very little effort really, and the majority of the time takes place on top of your stove or inside your oven. Trust me, this recipe will make your heart sing and your tongue dance. I mean, what is more comforting, then potato in all of its form (all of its glory)?!?! I tossed these bad boys with some of that lemon basil pesto I made over the weekend too and turned out to be a smashing hit (pun intended). What's great about a recipe like this is that when you entertain and pull these out of the oven, your friends will ooh and aahh over them and you my friends will know exactly the amount of effort these root vegetable gems took!

If you don't have any pesto on hand, maybe a plentiful drizzle of chimichurri or a toss with some flavored evoo and rosemary or oregano). The world really is your potato (or oyster, whatever suits your fancy).

A Lil' Cake.

How could I forget to wish Madame Munchies a Happy Birthday? February 27th marked my blog's 2nd birthday! And while I didn't sing a song or do a dance, this past weekend I did bake a cake, but it wasn't in honor of my blog's birth.

Over the weekend, I had an impromptu baking session - I was invited over to hang out with some friends and we had a last minute potluck. I offered to make a dessert and after perusing several cookbooks (of which I'm still organizing and finding a home for), I came across Molly Wizenberg's French Yogurt Cake featured in her memoir, A Homemade Life. I know what you're thinking, haven't I babbled enough on Molly, her fabulous blog and book??? Well, dear friends, no I have not!

Of course given time constraints as well as purse constraints, I was looking for a recipe for which I had the majority of ingredients listed and it just so happened I had 95% of the ingredients for this one. Plus the name of the recipe was intriguing. I've had alot of success with cakes that utilize the moistening power of yogurt or sour cream, so I was pretty confident that this would turn into sweet success!

The recipe called for whole yogurt and my fridge was fully stocked with greek yogurt and instead of using a silly old regular lemon I used a meyer lemon, which added a delicate sweetness to this otherwise mild cake. What I love about this recipe is its flexability. Molly suggested using other citrus fruits if you have them on hand, she even recommended using a fruity olive oil to replace the canola oil that the recipe calls for. You could add ground pistachios or almonds, or even dried fruit and I think it would compliment the flavor base for this cake.

Either way you slice it, your friends and family will thank you, I've been told it could be the key to meeting my future husband.

Spilled Milk.

Fourteen days later, Happy New Year to you all! It's been an intense couple of weeks, for a number of reasons. I'm clearing out the old, so that the "new" and "wonderful" can meander over to my neck o' the woods! Just wanted to share a foodie podcast with y'all: Spilled Milk, which is hosted by Molly Wizenberg of Orangette and Matthew Amster-Burton, both Seattle based foodies and writers. The first episode is devoted to Fried Eggs, all of its glories, and includes a recipe for Kimchi Fried Rice. It will make you laugh, chuckle, even snort (I admit it, I caught myself a few times) and of course, it will educate and inspire. Check it out when you've got 15 minutes to spare, you'll be glad you made the pit stop. You can also subscribe to this podcast in iTunes.