Crab and Corn Chowder

Posted on March 5, 2013 by admin

Crab and Corn Chowder - Meatballs&Milkshakes

I love soup in general, but this is definitely one of my favorites. It combines the delicate crab flavor with sweet corn and little spice from some paprika to make a quick and easy lunch or appetizer.  It’s better with fresh corn, but in the winter I don’t hesitate to use frozen.

Crab and Corn Chowder

1 cup lump crab

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

2 shallots, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon aleppo pepper

1/2 cup white wine

2 cups water

Saute the shallots and garlic in a little olive oil until they have softened. Add the tomato paste and allow it to rust on the bottom of the pan for a couple minutes before stirring through. Add the paprika, aleppo pepper and white wine to deglaze the pan. Add the water, corn, and crab and stir to combine. Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes, until all the flavors have come together. Garnish with some cilantro or flat-leaf parsley.

Categories: Appetizer, Shellfish, Soup | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Crab and Avocado Lettuce Wraps

Posted on February 26, 2013 by admin

Crab and Avocado Lettuce Wraps - Meatballs & Milkshakes

These are a perfect appetizer or weekend lunch, even if you’re not trying to eat healthy– but if you are, they’re even better. Citrus gives it a nice, bright flavor and the avocado adds some richness. You could substitute corn chips for the lettuce, but you certainly won’t miss them if you don’t.

Crab and Avocado Lettuce Wraps

1/2 pound lump crab meat

1 avocado, cubed

1 grapefruit

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

10 whole lettuce leaves

1 tablespoon cilantro leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon mint leaves, chopped

Segment the grapefruit by cutting off the top and bottom and cutting down the sides to remove all white pith, leaving as much of the fruit as possible. Cut along the membranes of each segment to remove the segments. Squeeze remaining membrane and peel to collect any remaining juice. Combine the extra juice with the olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste to create a vinaigrette. Pour over the avocado cubes and add the crab and grapefruit segments. Gently combine. Spoon into the lettuce leaves and top with cilantro and mint.

Categories: Appetizer, Shellfish | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

Posted on February 22, 2013 by admin

Vietnamese Summer Rolls - Meatballs &Milkshakes

Summer rolls are one of my favorite Vietnamese foods, but you may also know them as spring rolls (not to be confused with the fried spring rolls). They are almost like a salad with shrimp and rice noodles wrapped in rice paper served with a sweet citrus dipping sauce. They are very healthy, but also really delicious. You won’t be able to stop with just one.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

12 rice paper wrappers

24-36 shrimp, quickly sauteed in a little olive oil until just cooked through, sliced in half lengthwise

1 English cucumber, cut into matchsticks

1 carrot, shaved into strips with a vegetable peeler

1 cup rice noodles, quickly cooked in boiling water and cooled

1 cup cilantro leaves, picked

1 cup mint leaves, picked

12 lettuce leaves, butter lettuce or romaine

Arrange all ingredients ahead of time. Soak the rice paper wrappers according to package instructions until pliable.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls - Meatballs &Milkshakes

Line up 4-6 halves of shrimp along the center of the wrapper.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls - Meatballs &Milkshakes

Top with a few cilantro and mint leaves  along the length of the shrimp. Top with some of the carrot and cucumber slivers.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls - Meatballs & Milkshakes

Top this with a few of the rice noodles and then a piece of lettuce. Fold over the top and bottom of the rice paper and then roll from the side like a burrito. The rice paper will adhere to itself and stay closed. Try to roll as tightly as possible without tearing the rice paper and remember not to overstuff.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls - Meatballs & Milkshakes

Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

3 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

1 jalapeno or other chili pepper, sliced (optional)

Combine the ingredients and make sure the sugar has dissolved. Use as dipping sauce for summer rolls.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls - Meatballs & Milkshakes

Categories: Appetizer, Salad, Shellfish | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Chicken with Cilantro Chimichurri

Posted on February 12, 2013 by admin

Chicken with Cilantro Chimichurri - Meatballs & Milkshakes

This is one of my favorite new weeknight recipes because you can have it on the table in 15 minutes. If you make the chimichurri ahead of time and marinate the chicken, you literally are only in the kitchen for the time it takes to put the chicken in the oven. The chimichurri is also great leftover on anything– scallops, beef, vegetables, rice– you name it. It’s a light and refreshing topping with tons of flavor and not a lot of calories so you won’t feel guilty when you can’t get enough.

Roasted Chicken with Cilantro Ginger Chimichurri

1 pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs, chopped into bite size pieces

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 garlic clove, grated

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Chimichurri:

1 bunch cilantro (about 1 cup, chopped with stems and leaves)

1/4 cup flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

2 inch piece of ginger, chopped into pieces or grated

1 tablespoon Sriracha

1 teaspoon salt

Mix together the yogurt, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Coat the chicken in the mixture and let sit up to a day. Spread the chicken pieces out on a baking sheet and discard any extra marinade. Roast at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Change to broiler and allow to broil until the chicken starts to get some browned bits on top.

Meanwhile, combine all the chimichurri ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it becomes a chunky paste. Serve over the chicken or on the side as a dipping sauce.

Chicken with Cilantro Chimichurri - Meatballs & Milkshakes

Categories: Appetizer, Poultry, Sauce | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Citrus Salad with Rosemary

Posted on February 7, 2013 by admin

Citrus Salad - Meatballs & Milkshakes

 I love the brightness of citrus in the middle of winter, when we don’t have a lot of good fresh fruit. I add it to salads and grains, but you can’t go wrong with half a grapefruit and a spoon. When I’m looking for something a little more elegant however, this salad is perfect. A little crunch from the almonds and an herbal complexity from the rosemary make it a great starter to a fancy meal or a perfect lunchtime dessert.

Citrus Salad with Rosemary

1 grapefruit

2 blood oranges

2  oranges

1/2 cup sliced almonds

3 tablespoons rosemary, minced

Toast the almonds in a pan for a few minutes until they start to brown a bit. Meanwhile, supreme the grapefruit, blood oranges, and oranges. I do this by cutting the tops and bottoms off and running my knife along the edges to remove all the white pith and leave as much of the flesh as you can. Slice into the fruit along the white lines to remove the segments without any pith. Squeeze the leftover parts to catch any extra juices leftover after you segment the fruit. Combine all the fruit with the rosemary and the juice. Gently serve into bowls and sprinkle with the almonds.

 

Citrus Salad - Meatballs &Milkshakes

Categories: Appetizer, Salad | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

New and Improved Meatballs&Milkshakes!

Posted on February 6, 2013 by admin

We are back! Sorry for the wait for a new post, I’ve been transferring M&M to a new host and it took a while for everything to go though.  New post to come tomorrow! Please let me know if you have any problems with the new site or any comments/suggestions! I’m still working through some upgrades, so it will continue to gradually improve over the next month.

Categories: Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Posted on January 16, 2013 by admin

Sweet Potato Gnocchi - Meatballs&Milkshakes

This may be the last pasta post for a little while, as I’m going to try to be a little healthier for as long as I can stand it. Sweet potatoes are a favorite around the apartment, and they make light and fluffy gnocchi with more depth of flavor than regular gnocchi. Combine them with some crisp sage and pecorino, and they become truly delicious little clouds.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

1 1/2 pound sweet potato (1 large sweet potato), pricked with a fork

8 ounce container of fresh ricotta, preferably local

3 ounces grated parmesan

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups flour

Roast the sweet potato in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or microwave on high for 4 minutes a side until soft. Let cool. Meanwhile, let the ricotta drain in a sieve or coffee filter for two hours to remove some of the extra liquid.

Scrape the flesh from the potato skin and mash, it should be about 2 cups. Add the ricotta and combine. Add the salt, brown sugar, nutmeg, and half the flour. Combine well. Add the rest of the flour in parts until the dough becomes a ball. You may not need it all.

Dump it onto a board and form a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour up to a couple days.

Cut pieces off the ball and roll into ropes about a half inch thick with plenty of extra flour. Slice into inch long pieces. They can be kept in a single layer and frozen, store in some flour.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi - Meatballs&Milkshakes

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage and Pecorino

2 cups gnocchi, made as above (1 cup per person)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves

6-8 sage leaves

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Cook the gnocchi in heavily salted water for 2-3 minutes, until they aggressively float. Meanwhile, Saute the garlic in the olive oil on medium heat until it starts to brown. Remove the garlic and add the sage. Be careful, because they will pop a little at first due to the water content. Add the gnocchi along with a little pasta water and swirl to combine. Allow to cook for a minute together, and then off the heat, add the parmesan. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over the top.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi - Meatballs&Milkshakes

Categories: Italian, M&M Favorites, Pasta, Vegetarian | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Broccolini with Toasted Almonds

Posted on January 11, 2013 by admin

Broccolini with Toasted Almonds - Meatballs&Milkshakes

This crisp broccolini is topped with toasted almonds and breadcrumbs to give it some texture and depth of flavor from the almonds. The oils from the almonds permeate the breadcrumbs, and help to give some crunch as well. Best of all, this is a quick and healthy side that you can make in under 10 minutes.

Broccolini with Toasted Almonds

1 bunch broccolini

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup sliced almonds

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Blanch the broccolini in salted water for 5 minutes, until they become bright green and slightly tender. Meanwhile, toast the almonds and breadcrumbs in half the olive oil until they start to brown. Remove to a bowl. Saute the broccolini for 2 minutes in the remaining olive oil, being careful when adding the wet broccolini to the hot oil. You may want to add a little of the cooking water if it spatters too much. Remove to a plate and top with the toasted almonds and breadcrumbs.

Broccolini with Toasted Almonds - Meatballs&Milkshakes

Categories: Vegetable, Vegetarian | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

Nigella’s Chocolate Cake

Posted on January 7, 2013 by admin

Dense Chocolate Cake - Meatballs&Milkshakes

As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it out. It’s a dense chocolate loaf cake that I like best warmed with some vanilla ice cream although it’s also great as a breakfast treat. This cake is definitely worth a try, and it’s really quick and easy to make. It’s an adapted version of Nigella Lawson’s Dense Chocolate Cake from How to Be A Domestic Goddess.

Nigella’s Chocolate Cake

2 sticks butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

1 1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup boiling water

Cream together the butter and sugar until light in color. Add the eggs one at a time as well as the vanilla. Add the melted chocolate slowly, and make sure everything is well incorporated. Combine the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Slowly alternating with the water, add the dry ingredients in fifths. Once everything is incorporated, pour into a 9×5 loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Make sure to leave an inch at the top. Extra batter can be used for cupcakes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees for another 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing and serving.

Dense Chocolate Cake - Meatballs&Milkshakes

Categories: Dessert, Vegetarian | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Individual Bread Puddings

Posted on January 6, 2013 by m&m

Individual Bread Puddings - Meatballs&Milkshakes

Bread pudding is the perfect way to use up leftovers, whether it’s vegetables from last night’s dinner, bacon from yesterday’s breakfast (who has leftover bacon?!), or bits of cheese after that party. The important thing is to have some flavorings like onions, garlic, and herbs along with cheese and eggs to soak into day old bread and bake up into a lovely custardy breakfast. I like to make them in single servings or in cupcake pans so that I can take them with me on busy mornings. They also freeze well and you can heat straight from the freezer in single servings.

Individual Bread Puddings

5 eggs

1 cup milk

2 cups day old bread, cubed (small if making individual servings, they have to fit in the muffin cups)

1/2 cup grated cheddar

1/2 cup grated asiago

1/2 onion, minced (or leftover)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup spinach, chopped (or leftover)

1 cup mushrooms, sliced (or leftover)

1 cup white wine

2 tablespoons sage, minced

Parmesan cheese for grating

Saute the onion, garlic,sage,  and mushrooms in a couple tablespoons olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the spinach and allow to wilt. Add the white wine and allow the alcohol to cook off, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper, and add in the cheddar and asiago. Add in the bread along with the vegetable mixture. Make sure the bread soaks up a lot of the liquid before cooking. Pour into lined muffin pans, individual ramekins, or a large baking dish. Top with grated parmesan and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes if using muffin pans and up to 45 minutes if using a baking dish. Make sure they have started to brown and puff up, to know they are done.

Individual Bread Puddings - Meatballs&Milkshakes

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