MINI MEATBALL SANDWICHES

I saw these over at The Pioneer Woman and I just had to make them. I changed the recipe only slightly.

I used a 1.25 pounds of ground sirloin.

I added 3/4 cup plain panko.

Add 3 minced garlic cloves and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Add 3/4 cup milk.

Combine. I used a fork. I have a thing about touching raw meat.

Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture and roll into mini meatballs. I made about 30. I actually froze half of the meatballs for another day.

I like onions, so I chopped up a whole onion.

Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan. Add the onions and meatballs to the pan. Brown the meatballs.

Add a jar of marinara sauce. Since I was only making half of the meatballs, I used a small jar of marinara (15 1/2 ounce). Cover the pan and allow to simmer for about 20-25 minutes.

I cut a slice of provolone cheese in quarters.

My daughter likes the potato dinner rolls.

Slice the bread rolls in half, place a piece of cheese on the top and the bottom of each roll.

Place a meatball and some sauce, of course, on each roll. My daughter likes the mini meatball sandwich without the cheese.

YUM!!!!

MINI MEATBALL SANDWICH

Ingredients

• 1.25 pounds of ground sirloin (or ground chuck, or whatever you have)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup plain panko
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 large jar (about 30 oz) marinara sauce
• small bread rolls
• slice provolone cheese, cut in quarters

Preparation

1. Combine ground sirloin, garlic, panko, milk and salt in bowl.
2. Roll into mini meatballs. The size of the meatball depends on the size of the bread rolls.
3. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and meatballs. Brown the meatballs.
4. Add the jar of marinara sauce, cover the pan and allow to simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
5. Slice the rolls in half.
6. Place a piece of cheese on the top and the bottom of each roll.
7. Spoon a meatball and sauce on the bottom of the bun. Place the top half of the roll.
   

Cuban Shepherd's Pie

I decided to make a Cuban Shepherd's Pie since I had already made Picadillo. All you need to do is replace the potatoes in a the traditional Sheppard's pie with sweet plantains. I will be taking this over to my grandmother later.

Sweet plantains for those of you that aren't familiar with them are the very ripe plantains. They have a partially black or all black peel and will be soft to the touch. The darker the peel the sweeter (and mushier) the plantain is.

I used 2 plantains. I sliced them into about 2 inch rounds (leave the peel on) and place them into a pot and covered them with water. Boil until tender. About 20 minutes.

When the plantains are tender, carefully remove them from the pot. You can easily remove the peel now. I use a fork and knife to remove the peels to avoid burning my hands. Mash up the plantains with a fork. This mash is called "Fufu de Platano".

Place your picadillo in an oven-proof baking dish. Leave enough room to add the fufu de platano.

Cover the picadillo with the fufu de platano. And place in an oven that has been preheated to 375 ˚ F for about 10 minutes or until it is all heated through.

Picadillo - Meat Hash

Today I am cooking up Picadillo. It is one of my favorites and easy to make. My daughter loves it with white rice. She, of course, thinks it is chicken and who am I to tell her any different. This version has raisins and the olives. I love getting a bite that has a raisin and an olive in it. There is just something absolutely delicious about the sweet and salty mix. I don't like olives, but somehow they just taste divine in this dish. It is the only time you will ever catch me eating an olive.



Some Cuban restaurants add potato cubes, but I don't. You can also fry up a sunny side up egg and place it above the Picadillo and rice. That is called, Picadillo Al Caballo.

You will need ground beef, garlic, raisins, a small onion, white cooking wine, tomato sauce, olive oil, olives with a pimiento center, ground cumin, ground oregano, and Sazon Completo.

Finely chop up the onion. You should get about 1/2 cup. By the time I was done chopping the onion, I looked like I had just finished seeing the hospital scene when Debra Winger dies in Term of Endearment. I was a mess.

Finely mince about 4 cloves of garlic. You should have a well rounded tablespoon of garlic. I love garlic!

Now you are going to make a Sofrito. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. When the olive oil starts heating up, add the onion and cook until it starts to get translucent. Then add your garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce and cook for about 2 minutes.

Add the beef and use your wooden spoon to break up the pieces.

Add ground oregano, ground cumin, Sazon Completo, and white wine. Mix it all together.

Add the rest of the tomato sauce and mix it all in. Cook until the meat starts to brown. About 10 minutes.

Add the raisins.

Add the olives. Mix it all together. Cover the pan and lower the heat to medium low. Allow the flavors to blend.

I like to eat the Picadillo over a bed of white rice. Enjoy!

PICADILLO

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (I use ground sirloin)


• 2 tablespoons olive oil


• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 small onion)


• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (about 4 cloves)


• dash of ground oregano


• 1/2 scant teaspoon ground cumin


• 8 oz can of tomato sauce (divided)


• 1/4 cup raisins


• 1/4 cup olives with pimiento, halved


• 2 teaspoons Sazon Completo


• 1/4 cup white cooking wine

Preparation

• Heat olive oil in a pan at medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they begin to get translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce and cook for about 2 minutes.
• Add the ground beef and break up any large pieces with a wooden spoon.
• Add the wine, the Sazon Completo, ground oregano, ground cumin and mix together with a wooden spoon.
• Add the remaining tomato sauce and blend together. Cook until the meat begins to brown, about 10 minutes.
• Add the raisins and olives. Cover and lower the heat to allow the flavors to blend.
• Serve over a bed of white rice.