May 2016 – Page 2 – Simply Delicious: The Cookbook Project

9-10: Lean Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Jamie Martin Group 09: Ground Meat & Sausage, Section 2: Main Courses May 13, 2016July 5, 2020appetizers, basil, black pepper, boiled, bread crumbs, canola oil, chicken bouillon, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, dairy-free, diced, dinner, dried herbs, eggs, fairly easy, fairly inexpensive, garlic, ground meat, ground turkey, herbs and spices, Italian seasoning, lunch, meatballs, minced, olive oil, panko, parsley, party food, salt, sautéed, tomato sauce, untested, veal, white bread, white pepper, yellow onions

Here’s another one of those 1980s attempts at “healthy”. 9-10: Lean Meatballs with Tomato Sauce calls for the use of veal, which doesn’t immediately resonate with me as being “healthy”. A quick and dirty Google search comes up with veal having less calories than pork but more cholesterol than beef. Calories were the enemy in the 1980s, so I suppose that’s part of their justification for deeming veal meatballs “healthy”.

I’m not a huge fan of veal, and considering there’s a whole lamb & veal section to this book that I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of, we’re going to keep these meatballs “healthy” and swap veal for turkey. My mom was (and still is) a huge proponent of ground turkey, so this is probably a swap she or I would have made if we’d made this before.

12-5: Greek Rice

Jamie Martin Group 12: Pasta & Rice, Section 2: Main Courses May 12, 2016July 27, 2020almonds, black pepper, blanched, boiled, chopped, crushed tomatoes, dairy-free, dinner, easy, egg-free, garlic, gluten-free, Greek, green bell peppers, inexpensive, long-grain, lunch, minced, nuts, olive oil, party food, pine nuts, red bell peppers, rice, sautéed, side dish, sweet peas, tomatoes, untested, vegan, vegetable bouillon, vegetable broth, vegetables, vegetarian, yellow onions

Here’s a healthier option–some of the last few have been more on the indulgent side. Don’t get me wrong–there’s plenty more indulgence to come. 12-5: Greek Rice is a nice vegetarian option for a party, picnic, or just an everyday meal. I’m not entirely sure what makes it “Greek”, but we’ll go with it.

What else can I say–it’s just not that exciting. The final dish actually ends up similar to what Americans call Spanish rice, but with more veggies and a somewhat tangy flavor. If that interests you, read on.

17-38: Olive Bread

Jamie Martin Group 17: Baked Goods, Section 3: Desserts & Baked Goods May 12, 2016September 20, 2020all-purpose flour, appetizers, baked goods, basil, black olives, breads, breakfast, brushed, buns, cheese, chipotle, crescents, crispy, dairy-free, dinner, dough, dried herbs, egg-free, fairly easy, garlic, Greek, herbes de Provence, herbs and spices, hors d'oeuvres, inexpensive, kalamata, kneaded, lunch, olive oil, oregano, parchment paper, Parmesan, party food, proofed, revisited, rolls, rosemary, salt, sandwiches, side dish, Silpat, sliders, snacks, Tarzana apt, vegetarian, yeast

Here’s one I’ve made a couple of times before. 17-38: Olive Bread is a nice, easy bread to make, especially if you don’t have a ton of experience with the process. I think sometimes yeast doughs can be intimidating to beginners, but this one hasn’t failed me yet–even when I was still just beginning to make bread. If you’re looking for a more “plain” type easy bread, check out 17-6: Best Ever White Bread. However, if you like those olive batard breads from the bakery section of the market, you’ll love this one.

I’ve made this twice before, once in its intended form (but with more olives because I LOVE olives) and again soon after, but in a smaller bun-size with chipotle peppers & garlic instead of olives. I used them for slider buns for burgers intended for a New Years’ party, judging from the date on the card. What will I change about this recipe this time?

16-18: Lemon Basil Tart

Jamie Martin Group 16: Pies & Cakes, Section 3: Desserts & Baked Goods May 2, 2016November 5, 2020all-purpose flour, baked goods, baking powder, basil, boiled, butter, chilled, cornstarch, creamed, cut in, dessert, dusted, egg yolks, eggs, fairly hard, fairly inexpensive, fruit, granulated sugar, grated, herbs and spices, lemon juice, lemons, milk, party food, pastry, pie crust, powdered sugar, salt, shortbread, steeped, strawberries, tart, tart pan, untested, vegetarian, zested

Here’s one I’ve wanted to make for a LONG time, but never got to. I had even intended to do a version of 16-18: Lemon Basil Tart when I worked at the restaurant and was doing tarts every week moonlighting as the pastry chef, but the day I intended to make it, we were short on lemons and basil. Now I finally have a chance, and I even have the big tart pan in which to properly make it.

I didn’t even see until now that they mention that basil is related to mint–it makes sense. In this tart, the basil functions a lot like mint, and gives the tart a “fresh” flavor that just lemon wouldn’t provide. It took me a while to get to it, but it was worth it. 🍋🌿

9-20: Meat Roly-Poly

Jamie Martin Group 09: Ground Meat & Sausage, Section 2: Main Courses May 1, 2016July 5, 20201998 dinner, all-purpose flour, baked goods, beef bouillon, beef broth, black pepper, bread crumbs, breakfast, butter, canola oil, corn oil, diced, dinner, dough, egg wash, eggs, fairly easy, fairly inexpensive, green bell peppers, ground beef, ground meat, herbs and spices, Hutton house, kneaded, lunch, melted, milk, mushrooms, panko, paprika, pared, party food, proofed, red bell peppers, revisited, salt, sautéed, sesame seeds, Silpat, vegetable oil, vegetables, vegetarian, yeast, yellow onions

Here’s one I’ve made before. In one of my previous entries (6-22: Crispy Chicken Drumsticks), I mentioned doing all the cooking for a family dinner party when I was 12-13 years old with a similarly-aged family friend of mine. 9-20: Meat Roly-Poly is another one of the recipes I remember making for that party.

Another memory from this dinner party: I had just gotten a new CD (Version 2.0 by Garbage) and we were listening to it on my parents’ GIANT 1970s hi-fi stereo system over and over as we spent the day cooking. Gives you an idea of how old I am, and how long I’ve been cooking from this book.