Three Italian Side Dishes: Meatballs, Chicken Cacciatore & Eggplant Parmesan

How can you add extra pizzaz to that giant pot of homemade tomato sauce? Meatballs or chicken are delicious options. After serving spaghetti and meatballs to fifteen hungry guests (see Italian Spaghetti Sauce Made with Garden Fresh Tomatoes), I was able to reserve several cups of sauce for eggplant parmesan, which I happily assembled the following evening. But first, how to make the meatballs...

• For moist meatballs, the addition of water is crucial.
• If the ground beef you purchase is already fatty you may not need to add oil. In Peru, where beef is ground without the addition of fat, oil is very important for tenderness and flavor.
• The meatballs will be even more flavorful if seasoned meat rests in the refrigerator for a few hours before use.
• To decrease fat content of your dish, you can opt to bake meatballs in the oven before dropping them into the sauce.
• If you're short on time, drop raw meatballs directly into the sauce. Setting aside time to brown the meatballs, though, enriches flavor.
• A cast iron skillet is best for browning meatballs as they won't easily stick or burn.
• Leftover meatballs are delicious eaten as a sandwich, on french or ciabatta rolls.

These meatballs are tender, moist and bursting with flavor! While living in North America I used to combine ground beef with bulk Italian sausage but, since the latter ingredient isn’t available in my neck of the woods, I spike ground beef with italian herbs and spices. Alternatively, you could use a combination of ground beef, pork or lamb.

Ingredients:

Herbs & Spices:

• 1 Tablespoon minced or pressed garlic
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon anise
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped

Meatballs:

• 2 pounds ground beef or beef/pork/lamb combination
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 Tablespoons parsley
• 2 cups bread crumbs, fresh
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 cup water

Method:

1. Mix ingredients thoroughly with hands and form ½ inch meatballs

2. Saute meatballs in batches without crowding, browning them on all sides and adding enough oil to the skillet to keep them from sticking. Use a spatula to turn them gently, being careful not to smash or break them apart.

3. Drop browned meatballs into sauce, stirring gently with a spatula.

4. Add water to skillet and deglaze, scraping up brown bits. Add this liquid to the tomato sauce and stir gently.

5. Simmer tomato sauce and meatballs for several hours.

6. Serve over pasta and sprinkle with grated parmesan.

7. Meatballs will be even more delicious the second day, if you can wait that long!

When we lived in the Andes, the owner of a coffee plantation generously gave me a farm-raised, free range hen. I made my first chicken cacciatore with that bird and although the dish was delicious, albeit wild and gamey, the meat was too chewy for my tastes. I realized, though, that the original chicken cacciatore was probably created with similar ingredients for the name literally means "hunter's chicken". A grocery store fryer will yield a delicious pot of fall-off-the-bone chicken cacciatore.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½- 3 lb. fryer, cut into pieces

OR

• For dark meat lovers: choose 2 pounds of legs and thighs
• For white meat lovers: choose chicken breasts and cut them into two or three pieces
• 3 Tablespoons capers (optional)
• 5 Tablespoons sliced green or black olives (optional)
• 10-15 white mushrooms, sliced

Method:

1. Lightly saute sliced mushrooms in olive oil, about two minutes. Add to tomato sauce.
2. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Saute in about 1/4 inch of oil, in batches, about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
3. Add chicken to tomato sauce.
4. Deglaze skillet with wine, broth or water, scraping up browned bits before adding to sauce.
5. Add capers and olives, if using.
6. Simmer sauce for one or two hours. The dish will be even more tasty if refrigerated overnight, as flavors will have a chance to marry.
7. Serve over pasta, with a dinner salad and garlic bread.

This recipe turns out sweet slices of eggplant with a light, crispy crunch. The addition of silky tomato sauce and nutty cheese makes a meal that's hard to resist.

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