Jalapeno & Mint Meatballs

image megan*christine



a few holidays’ back my italian nanny taught us how to make gnocchi. the lesson itself was a beautiful gift, and the tips were priceless. despite how modest my grandmother can be, you can't let her fool you. she is an amazing italian cook, and everyone in our family can attest to that. it's been in the recent years that she finally saw our appreciation, as grandchildren, from another level, as we begged for her recipes so that we could recreate her dishes on our own. of all of her creations, i think the family would agree that her anise cookies, tomato sauce, chicken cacciatore and meatballs are the best. i steer from baking, so i have yet to attempt the cookies, but my sister-in-law, jessa, mastered them (which makes my brother quite the happy man). this past weekend i contemplated dusting off the recipe for her meatballs, as i challenged myself to make better meatballs than a local market in san francisco. with bryan's deep appreciation of meatballs, i anticipated that he might be a tough critic. i picked through epicurious for a good recipe, finding one for meatballs in tomato serrano chile sauce, and tweaked it for personal taste. the below is my version of the bon appetit recipe, and i think we could have handled more jalapeno (but that is us). i think two clean plates said enough, but this was pretty tasty

Jalapeno & Mint Meatballs

Meatballs
2 sandwhich thins toasted and choppped into small pieces
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound grassfed ground beef
1 (14 1/2) -ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

Sauce
3 medium jalapenos, stemmed
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 (14 1/2) -ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
Salt & Pepper

1/4 cup EVOO
2 cup water
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups Instant Brown Rice
1 can Organic Black Beans
1/3 cup white onion, chopped

For sauce:

Line heavy small skillet or baking pan with foil; add chiles and garlic. Bake on Broil until skins begin to blister and blacken, turning frequently, about 15 minutes. Cool garlic slightly, then peel.
Working in batches, puree tomatoes with juices, whole chiles, and garlic in blender until almost smooth. Add S&P to taste.

For meatballs:

Combine bread, milk, onion, garlic, salt, oregano, and pepper in large bowl. Mash with fork until thick paste forms. Mix in beef, tomatoes, egg, and mint (mixture will be soft). Using 1/4 cupful for each, form mixture into 2-inch balls (or desired size).

Heat oil in heavy large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook, flipping until all sides are browned. Add tomato puree; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a small pan, saute onions until clear and add black beans. Simmer until warm.

Bring Water to a boil in small sauce pan, add rice and cook for 5 minutes.
Spoon Rice and Beans into a shallow bowl. Top rice with meatballs and sauce and serve.