Food

[Henry Krinkle]

Indeed quite true! That's one reason I recommend dark meat - it's more moist in the context. The onions help keep it juicy as well. Indeed it's best to grind up the blend only enough to combine and chop the ingredients together, not to emulsify them. Pulsing the food processor helps control that.

Thigh meat especially is moister, and therefore also tastier. I use a grinder, but when I make salmon burgers I use a food processor and pulse.

[Raza]

Is nobody taking your request seriously, Raza? OK, are you planning to make these from scratch? Want some ideas for a recipe? OK, here are some ideas:

Meatballs (adjust quantities to taste):
In a food processor blend:
raw ground chicken thigh meat (more moist than breast meat)
white rice - cooked
2 eggs
salt, pepper to taste
dry tarragon
dry sage
chopped onion (1/2 to whole depending on quantity)
1 chopped garlic clove or garlic powder
fresh parsley, chopped (dry will work)

To test or adjust the flavors of a meatball, you can use the "Jimmy Dean" method a chef once showed me. The name refers to those breakfast sausage patties, which resembles this shape. Heat a frying pan with a bit of oil, take a small scoop of the meatball blend, flatten it onto the pan, flip after the first side is cooked, finish frying and use this sample to taste for adjusting spices or ingredients in the meatball. It saves a lot of mistakes this way.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and preheat oven to 375ºF. Prepare a baking sheet with some oil. Form small golf-ball circles of the meatball mix and drop them into the boiling water. Remove them with a slotted spoon a few minutes after they float, and place on a rack to drip for a moment. Once the meatballs are all par-boiled, place them on the cookie sheet and brown in the oven for ~20-30 minutes until exterior is slightly caramelized. Once the batch is done, you can freeze the extras for future meals.

These would be excellent on a pasta with béchamel sauce, a bit of Parmesan and sage butter for example.

Does this help?

That’s incredibly helpful! I have ground chicken already, so I can skip the first step!

Why the rice?

[boatme99]

The starch acts both as a binder and a moisture retention agent.
You can use dried bread crumbs if you prefer

[Raza]

The starch acts both as a binder and a moisture retention agent.
You can use dried bread crumbs if you prefer

Ah. I’ve seen bread crumbs used before, but never rice.

[skywatch]

That’s incredibly helpful! I have ground chicken already, so I can skip the first step!

Why the rice?

The rice isn't necessary, but it adds a nice texture and creates a binder of sorts. When I cook I usually improvise, so you see all the ingredients are "adjust to taste" or omit if not necessary. The tradition of meatballs and meatloaf are really to find ways to stretch small amounts of meat into a satisfying meal, so it's old practice to add some grain as a way to stretch the meal and make the flavors more subtle.

[Henry Krinkle]

Over the winter we discovered that my thin crust dough makes a really good thick crust pizza, maybe even better than as a thin one. So, fire roasted pancetta, mushroom, red onion and arugula pizza, I used both smoked caciocavallo and fresh buffalo mozzarella. My homemade pancetta isn't nearly the best pancetta I have ever tasted, but holy crap is it good on pizza!

The first wood roast pizza of the year.

[geoffbot]

Right - I'm moving to a bigger plot on the 31st. I have budget for lots of house goodies. I'm getting a pizza oven.

[geoffbot]

My dad just transferred me the cash for this https://blisteringwoodfiredovens.co....ed-pizza-oven/



I'll almost certainly buy it for when I move in a month.

[geoffbot]

And this new fridge freezer https://ao.com/product/rfg23uers-sam...-25168-27.aspx

[Strela167]

Anyone got one of these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weber-55020.../dp/B00FDOON8S