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Archive for the ‘Meat’ Category

Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Posted in Dinner, Meat on January 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Makes about 15 meatballs

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce

  • 2 T Olive Oil
  • 1/2 onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 Cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes
  • Salt to taste

Meatballs

  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 lb ground veal
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1/2 t ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 t dried oregano
  • some pepper
  • 1/4 onion, very finely diced
  • 5-6 small, dark mushrooms, very finely diced
  • 3-4 sprigs parsley, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, finely diced

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. In an wide, oven-proof pot saute onions in olive oil for a few minutes over medium heat.  Then add garlic and saute until garlic starts to brown.
  3. Once garlic starts to brown reduce heat to medium-low and add both cans of tomatoes. Bring to a low simmer and add basil. Now make the meatballs, stirring the sauce every few minutes. If sauce sticks to the bottom then lower than heat.
  4. To make meatballs: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well with your hands. Create medium sized meatballs, about half the size of the palm of your hand (they won’t bet very sticky.) Put meatballs on a plate or pan while you make them.
  5. Once meatballs are made and the sauce has been simmering for 10 minutes or more, turn off the heat of the sauce. Gently place the meatballs in sauce, makings sure they are close, but not completely touching.
  6. Place the pot in the middle of the oven, uncovered, and cook for 45 minutes to an hour. Stir every 5-10 minutes. The first few times stirring be very careful and mostly just turn the meatballs in their place. Once they become more cooked, you should be able to gently stir them.
  7. Garnish with Parmesan if inclined

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Campfire Dutch Oven Lasagna

Posted in Dinner, Meat, Pasta on June 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

lasagna

Campfire Dutch Oven Lasagna

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

  • Spinach and Meat Sauce (see below for recipe, make before the trip and then keep cold)
  • 12 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
  • 32 oz ricotta
  • 1 package fresh lasagna noodles
  • olive oil

Directions:

  1. Build up a large camp fire for at least an hour to ensure an abundance of coals.
  2. Oil the inside of the dutch oven.
  3. Spread a layer of sauce across the bottom, add a layer of noodles (you will have to cut them to fit the shape of the dutch oven.) Top the noodles with a layer of ricotta and a layer of mozzarella. Repeat until sauce and noodles are used up, end with the mozzarella layer.
  4. Keep a small fire going in one corner of the fire circle. Put a layer of coals down, place dutch oven on top, add a layer of coals to the lid. Rotate the dutch oven every 15 minutes (since the heat for the fire will also do some cooking.) Every 30 minutes replace the coals.
  5. After 1 hour check for done-ness, cheese should be starting to brown, check every 15-20 minutes after that.

Spinach and Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 Sweet or Spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
  • 3 large cans of crushed San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 onions, diced
  • 1/2 head of garlic, minced
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 2 large handfuls of basil, roughly chopped
  • 1 bag or large bunch of spinach, washed
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil

Directions:

  1. In a enameled cast iron pot*, cook sausage in a healthy amount of olive oil for about 8-10 minutes (does not need to be fully cooked, but should be broken up.)
  2. Add onions and more olive oil if needed and cook until onions are translucent.
  3. Add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for about an hour, stirring often.
  5. Add basil and cook for another 20 minutes.
  6. Stir in spinach, cook until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and serve or let cool and store.

*I find a heavy pot works best for slow cooking sauces because there is less potential to burn. Use what you have, just be careful of burning if you use a lighter pot.

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Carnitas

Posted in Crock Pot, Dinner, easy, Meat on June 17, 2013| 1 Comment »

 

carnitas

Spicy Carnitas in a Crock Pot

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • Pork Shoulder (3-4lbs)
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 Tablespoon Oregano
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 small can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (use less if you prefer less spicy)
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled
  • Salt, to taste (~1 teaspoon)

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on high for 6-8 hours
  2. Remove meat from crock pot and shred on a baking sheet. Add some of the cooking liquid until moist (about 1.5 cups)
  3. Broil meat until crispy on the outside but moist in the middle, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Add more cooking liquid if necessary

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