A Day of Feasting Recipes

Ok, here are my recipes from Sunday (I'm getting through this fifth Sunday much more quickly than I did the last one. It helps that my post about the day was about 4 miles long!)

Meatballs in Fresh Tomato Sauce
from Cuisine At Home
serves 4-6 (I 2.5 timesed (not a word) this recipe....and there are a few leftovers even after 21 saints)

1.5 cups of yellow onion, diced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
3 cans whole plum tomatoes, crushed
1/2 cup reserved meatball pan drippings (see recipe below)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Saute onions in oil over med.-high heat in a large pan until translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook just until you smell it, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, pan drippings, parsley, sugar; pepper flakes, and slat. Simmer 15 minutes. I did also add some tomato paste until it was the thickness that I wanted. And, I did make this recipe 2 days in advance...good to know if you want a recipe you can make ahead.

Basic Meatballs
from Cuisine At Home
Makes 30-33 (I 1.5 timesed (still not a word) this recipe to make more like 50)

1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
3/4 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
pinch nutmeg (pinch = one of those official "cooks only" measurement terms)
2 pounds ground chuck
1 cup low-sodium beef broth

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stir together all ingredients (except the ground meat) in a large mixing bowl. Add the ground chuck and mix together thoroughly. Using a portioning spoon or 2 spoons, shape the meat mixture into balls (about 2" in diameter or 1.5 oz. each). *this is also done the Miss Blair way: grab some of the meat mixture. Put it on the scale. Add or subtract until the scale reads 1.5 oz. and role into a ball with your hands. Place on baking sheet. You let me know which way you like best.* Coat a baking sheet or shallow roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray. Space the meatballs on the pan so they're not touching or crowded together. Cover bottom of pan with beef broth. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the meatball are just cooked through. Reserve pan juices for sauce. I made this recipe 3 days in advance and put the meatballs in the fridge. On Sunday morning before I left for church I put the meatballs and the sauce in the crock pot on low and let them heat all morning. Enjoy!

Almost No-Knead Bread
from Cooks Illustrated (with some "fine-tuning" from Mama)
makes 1 large round loaf (I made 2)

3 cups (15 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus the additional for dusting work surface
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1.5 teaspoons table salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water (7 ounces), at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 ounces) mild-flavored lager
1 tablespoon white vinegar (if you accidentally use white wine vinegar that works too...I know)

Whisk four, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add water, beer, and vinegar. Using rubber spatula,fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours. (It really does need to sit for at least 12 hours...Mama found out the hard (meaning, "the bread doesn't taste very good") way.

Lay 12- by 18-inch sheet of parchment paper inside 10-inch skillet and spray with nonstick cooking spray (we never spray the paper). Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10 to 15 times . Shape dough into ball by pulling edges unto middle. Transfer dough, seam side up, to well-floured cloth. Wrap up in cloth. Let rise at room temperature until doubled (about 2 hours).

About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place covered iron skillet on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees. Carefully remove pan from oven. Flip bread into pan so it is seam side down. Replace lid. Place in oven. Reduce heat to 425 degrees and bake covered for 30 minutes. Carefully remove bread from post; transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. (it's also really yummy served warm). Enjoy!

Hot Fudge Brownie Sundaes
(minus the hot fudge sundae part...I just served brownies and ice cream)
from Perfect Recipes for Having People Over
makes 18 brownies (unless you cut them small because you're having 21 people)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon slat
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut or broken into small chunks
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut or broken into small chunks
2.5 sticks unsalted butter
2.5 cups sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 large eggs, lightly beaten

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a disposable or regular 13x9 inch baking pan with heavy-duty foil, leaving an overhang on two long sides to facilitate removal of brownies. Spray pan with vegetable cooking spray.

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl; set aside. (not too far aside, though...you might forget to mix them into the brownies...trust me, I know :)

Melt chocolates and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs and stir until mixture turns from grainy-looking to smooth and glossy.

Stir in dry ingredients until just incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with wet crumbs, about 40 minutes. Cool brownies in pan for 5 minutes, then use foil to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!