Momma's Meatballs - Good Old Italian Style!

As I sit here writing this blog, I can't stay away from the kitchen and from tasting!  I am researching the background of this style meatball and trying to concentrate with the smell that has filled my home!  All the reference material I have found gives credit for these wonderful meatballs to Southern Italy, most likely Sicily or Calabria, Italy.  

My family is from the Campania Region, in a town called Pontelatone, Italy.  Pontelatone is about 40 kilometers north of Naples and Naples is about 310 mile North of Calabria.  So, I am not sure where the influence of this wonderful meatball came from for our family, but I am told that my Grandfather, Albert Capone would make these meatballs often and this is pretty close to how he made them.  

There has been no family recipe handed down until now, that I am aware of, so this is quite a special treat!  My Mom came over and I had the hardest time slowing her down and letting me write down each detail.  It was even harder to get her to let me take pictures of the process, she has made this so much that she whips them up quickly!

When I was very young, my family was pretty poor.  My mom would make the most of so little when it came to cooking.  We ate and by the Grace of God, Family and my creative Mom, we always had a good meal!  I have to credit her for all she did to make sure that happened.  It wasn't until I was much older that I come to realize, as I cared for my family, all that she did.  I love you Mom!!!  Thank You!

As you can imagine, when we were gathering ingredients, I offered some fresh Basil and fresh Oregano and she said, "You want me to make these like I always did right?  Well I didn't have those fancy ingredients, so this is what I did."  When I tasted them afterward, I just said, "That's what I remember and they are perfect!"

If you wish to add your own personal touch to them, feel free.  

Meatballs with Raisins and Pignolia Nuts (Pine Nuts):

Ingredients:  (This recipe makes approximately 48 meatballs)

2.5 - 3 Pounds of Ground Beef (80/20)
1 Medium onion chopped
1 Small Red Pepper chopped
4 Tbsp. Dried Oregano
4 Eggs
Italian Style Dry Bread Crumbs (enough to give them a stiff consistency)
1 Tbsp. Minced garlic 
1 1/2 C Raisins (softened)
1/2 - 3/4 C Pine Nuts 
Salt and Pepper 
2 or 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
About 2 quarts of Sauce

Soak the Raisins in a small pan on the stove with water (enough to just cover them).  Bring to a boil and turn them off and let sit for about 20 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Mix all the above ingredients and be sure not to make the meat mixture too dry with the bread crumbs.  Roll them into about 1 1/2 inch balls, trying to be sure every meatball gets some of all the ingredients.

In a large deep fry pan, heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil and enough meatballs to cover the bottom of the pan.  Get a good sear on them and turn to get all sides.  Do not over cook, they will finish cooking in the sauce.  When finished, add all of the drippings and the meatballs to the sauce.

I cook mine in the crockpot these days, but when my Mom made them for us when we were kids, she would cook them in a dutch oven all day long on the stove.  I cook them for about 6-8 hours in the crock pot on low, in the sauce.

When ready, serve however you wish.  I love them over spaghetti, or just on an Italian roll with Parmesan Cheese...they are wonderful!  And the best part is the FREE SMELLS you have in your home!  Bonus!

Enjoy!

Well Used and Loved for Decades!

The Background of this blog is now reflecting some of our VERY Used and Loved Cookbooks!  Collected back in the day when communities came together and made these books for fundraisers.  It was awesome to see a neighbor or friend in them and see what they offered up for a recipe.  I have fond memories of cooking with these books.  Over the years they have been brought out for all types of occasions and the recipes within them have been cooked and eaten by so many people.  

It's hard to believe how many decades have passed!  As I look closer, my Aunt's recipe is in there.  I will cherish these for all of my life and will pass them down to my granddaughter for sure!

Nothing says Fall like Butternut Squash Soup!

Butternut Squash Soup

Warm and cozy soup with a little twist ~ Apple and Cheddar Cheese!  This hearty soup incorporates all the things I love about the fall, nothing says HARVEST like this!  Mom my made this one tonight and I had to call her and say WOW! I love it!

I love butternut squash just about any way you can come up with to make it, so when she said would you like some, I couldn't say NO!

Ingredients are:

4 Tablespoons butter
1 Medium onion, sliced
2 Medium apples, sliced
1 Large white potato, diced
1 1/2 Cups chopped butternut squash (medium sized squash)
Salt and Pepper
1/2 Tsp. Dried sage
1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
2 Tbsp. of all-purpose flour
1/3 Cup Apple Cider
4 Cups chicken broth
1 Cup milk
2 Cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Garnish:

Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Chopped Chives
Extra light sprinkle of nutmeg


Directions:

First, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a Dutch Oven and add the onion, apples, potato and squash.  Add Salt and Pepper and cook for about 8 minutes or until the onion is soft.  Stir in the sage and flour.  Add the cider and cook until it thickens.  Add the broth and milk, cover and bring to a boil; reduce to simmer and cook for about 8-10 minutes.  Stir occasionally to make sure the potato is soft.

Add the cheese and stir over medium-low heat until melted all the way.  Put it in a blender and puree until smooth (will probably have to do in batches).  Season with salt and pepper and add the garnishes. 

Serve this with a warm bread and enjoy!   With the addition of the tart apple and the richness of the cheddar cheese the flavor is out of this world!  Enjoy your Fall!  Thanks Mom for such a yummy treat!

Crockpot Chicken and Biscuits

Crockpot Chicken and Biscuits

I LOVE the smell of the crockpot cooking when I walk in the house from work!  Sometimes, I even cook in the crockpot all night long to finish a recipe before going to work the next day. Waking up to the smell, I don't know, there is just something about it that feels like Home!

There is also something about the Fall!  For this girl who was born and raised in the heart of the Adirondacks in Upstate New York, the Fall is the ONLY season for me!  With the brisk air in the morning and at night and the sunny fall days, you need things that scream warmth!

Tonight we are having this wonderful meal that I can only categorize as Comfort Food at its best!  

Ingredients are:


In the Crockpot:

3 large chicken breasts or 4 medium sized ones, cut in half
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 celery stalk chopped
1/2 small onion chopped (if you like onion add a whole onion)
1/2 package baby carrots ( I like them whole, you can chop them up though)
5 medium potatoes cut into pieces
1 Tbsp. Chicken Boullion 
1/2 package of Herb flavored powdered soup mix 
1 small can Chicken Broth
A pinch of salt and pepper

Biscuits: 

1 can (or 2 for a large crowd) of refrigerated biscuits (we used the crescent rolls tonight). Cook them as directed and serve hot with your meal.

Add the ingredients to your crockpot, pretty much in this order for 8 hrs on low.  You can tweak it according to your personal tastes.  You can stir occasionally or wait until the time is up, either way, the flavor is all through the meat and the broth, it's Amazing!

The chicken breast should just fall apart to the touch, so no real shredding is needed.  If you prefer a thicker sauce, add a couple tablespoons of cornstarch to thicken it up.  Honestly it is all about the preference.

We didn't use biscuits tonight, we used the packaged crescent rolls.  If you use the biscuits you could cut the biscuit in half and pour the chicken mixture on top of it for that Chicken and Biscuit taste.

The Best way to eat this feast is however you choose!  Spoon or Fork, it's all up to you.  

Delicious and this one is dedicated to my sweet husband Ken!  He loves comfort food like nobody else.  But what he loves the most is Chicken!  After all these years...I have to continue to find new ways to bring back old favorites!  Love you Ken <3

The Big "WHY" for this Blog!

Every once in a while, I can feel my Nana cooking right beside me.  I was always in such envy of her food and since her passing, I have missed it so much.  Everything she cooked seemed to have that down home taste.  Especially when we gathered at Christmas time to bake our favorite cookies or Italian Recipes.

Growing up in a largely Italian family, we had big meals, big appetites and big cooking days. My Mom has the same spirit and carried the recipes through all my years.  I can still smell the pot of sauce on the stove top.  I remember ripping off a piece of Italian bread and dipping it into the pot.  Mmmmmmm, the smell, the taste, it was HOME!

Watching my Nana cook was also quite inspiring.  I remember her teaching us things like the etiquette of cooking and setting the table properly.  She would place a paper towel on the counter for this and for that and it was fascinating how neatly she would cook.  I don't know that I retained that in my later years, as I am often reminded by my husband about what a MESS I have made when dinner is done! 

I remember so many things about cooking side by side with my Nana, but something was lost in the years that have passed.  The goal for this blog and for my cookbook is to document the food, the fun and the memories with my Mom and my Granddaughter so that as time passes, we always have it to come back to.  I'd like to think that it will be the center of my Granddaughter and future grandchildren's home and when they remember cooking along side of me or my Mom, that they have the fondest of memories to share!