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Stuffed Italian Meatball Grinder
Stuffed Italian Meatball Grinder
On the East Coast, a grinder is a sandwich on Italian hoagie rolls with hot ingredients instead of cold cuts; with cheese and Italian salad on it. My sandwich is reminiscent of the old MN state fair grinder stall that serve meatballs, sauce, and cheese stuffed into hollowed out Italian bread; instead of slicing the bread in half.
Ingredients
- hoagie buns
- mozzarella cheese shredded
Meatballs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef or 50/50 ground beef and pork
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minded
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper optional
Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 16 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup basil chopped
- 2 tbsp oregano chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all of the meatball ingredients together.
- Roll into mini meatballs about the size of a cherry.
- Add olive to a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Cook the meatballs for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the pan.
- Add in another 2 tbsp of olive oil. Sauté the onions for 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the meatballs into the sauce. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Sandwich Assembly
- Cut each of the hoagie buns in half. Hollow out the inside, making sure not to tear open the outside.
- Place one of the halves in a pint glass to hold it upright. Put a small pinch of mozzarella in the bottom.
- Place 2 meatballs and some sauce on the bottom.
- Repeat this layering process 2 more times so there’s a total of 6 meatballs in the sandwich.
- Place some mozzarella cheese on top.
Venison Burger with Fried Duck Egg
Spread garlic aioli on both sides of the bun. Top with the burger and fried duck egg.
Duck Egg Frittata
Duck Egg Frittata
Duck eggs have become my new obsession. They are super rich in flavor; being twice the size of a chicken egg, with more yolk than white. They are less uncommon to find and can be bought at just about any grocery store. I fortunately got mine fresh from my dental hygienist who raises chickens, quail, and ducks.This frittata is a great way to try duck eggs for the first time. You can use just about any veggies and cheese of your liking to add in. I used cremini mushrooms, sweet peppers, spinach, and grape tomatoes, plus an herbed shredded mozzarella.
Servings: 6
Equipment
- glass pie pan
Ingredients
- 5 duck eggs
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
- 4 mini sweet peppers sliced
- 4 oz baby spinach
- 8 oz shredded cheese divided
- 8 grape tomatoes sliced in half
Instructions
- Whisk the dug eggs, milk, paprika, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the mushrooms and sweet peppers for 8 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach. Sauté for 2 more minutes.
- Once the spinach has wilted, turn off the heat.
- Grease a glass pie pan. Place the sautéed vegetables in the pan. Pour in the duck egg batter. Stir in half of the cheese.
- Top the frittata with the rest of the cheese. Arrange the halved grape tomatoes cut side up across the top. Place in a preheated 400° oven for 20 minutes until firm.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Creole Seasoned Grilled Alligator
Creole Seasoned Grilled Alligator
Alligator is a southern delicacy in Louisiana and Florida. The meat is considered seafood, but has a firm consistency between chicken and pork with a mild fishy taste. It is very high in protein and low in fat. Gator meat is for purchase in the U.S. from legally sourced gator farms and can be found in specialty stores. I purchased mine for $14/lb from my local Asian market; found in the frozen section.
Equipment
- metal skewers
- charcoal
- chimney starter
- charcoal grill
Ingredients
- 1 lb alligator tail meat cut into cubes
- 3 tbsp creole seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Rub the alligator tail meat with olive oil and the creole seasoning. Let marinate for 15 minutes. Place the gator on steel skewers.
- Light the charcoal in a chimney starter and allow to get gray. Pour the charcoal in the grill and place the grate on. Place the skewers directly over the charcoal.
- Grill for 6 minutes a side until cooked through.
