Fix, Freeze, Feast - Kati Neville [29]
4. Place meatballs close together on lightly greased broiler pans or rimmed baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool meatballs.
5. While meatballs are baking and cooling, mix ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, garlic, onion, mustard, and pepper in a large bowl. Divide sauce evenly among the freezer bags. Divide cooled meatballs evenly among bags of sauce.
6. Seal and freeze.
TO COOK ONE ENTRÉE
1. Completely thaw one entrée in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
3. Pour meatballs and sauce into an ungreased baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until meatballs are heated through. Serve over rice or noodles.
WAREHOUSE BARGAINS
Ketchup can be had for two and a half times cheaper per ounce when purchased in the large cans at the warehouse versus the bottles at the grocery store. Use what you need in this and other recipes and store the rest in a clean container with an air-tight lid in the refrigerator. You can even wash and re-use your glass grocery store ketchup bottles.
Although a big fan of cooking from scratch, my mouth still waters when I think about meaty pork chops braised in a skillet with a can of cream of mushroom soup added to make a tasty gravy. I feel a little sheepish admitting that it’s a dish I’ve always liked. This is my answer to the craving for that dish. It has much better flavor, and when made ahead and frozen, it’s just as quick to make for dinner as opening a can of soup. Making the sauce from scratch gives you ultimate control in ingredient selection. —LT
SALISBURY MEATBALLS
MAKES 6 ENTRÉES, ABOUT 20 MEATBALLS EACH
MEATBALLS
1 TRAY (ABOUT 6 POUNDS) LEAN GROUND BEEF
3 cups dry bread crumbs
cup milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup minced onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 18 cloves)
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
SAUCE
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1½ pounds fresh white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups water
4 cups half-and-half (or light cream)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
1½ teaspoons black pepper
6 one-gallon freezer bags, labeled
1. Preheat the oven to 500ºF.
2. Using your hands, thoroughly combine beef, bread-crumbs, milk, eggs, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Shape into 1- to 1½-inch meatballs, placing them close together on lightly greased broiler pans or rimmed baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball reads 160ºF. Cool meatballs.
3. While the meatballs are baking and cooling, melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until soft, about 7 minutes. Stir in flour. Mixture will be lumpy. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Gradually stir in water and half-and-half; cook, stirring, until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Whisk to make a smooth sauce. Add Worcestershire sauce, bouillon, and pepper; stir. Cool sauce.
4. Divide cooled meatballs and sauce evenly among the freezer bags.
5. Seal and freeze.
TO COOK ONE ENTRÉE
Completely thaw one entrée in the refrigerator. Prepare on the stove or in the oven.
STOVE TOP
Bring meatballs and sauce to a simmer in a large skillet over medium heat until meatballs are heated through. Do not boil.
OVEN
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Pour meatballs and sauce into an ungreased baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until meatballs are heated through. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles.
THICK AND THIN
If the sauce seems thin before freezing it, resist the temptation to thicken it with more flour. When the entrée comes out of the freezer and is reheated, the sauce will be considerably thicker than it was before freezing.
These meatballs are perfect over rice or on their own as a potluck dish. For guests who like a bit of zip, I offer chopped scallions and a little hot chili paste when I serve this dish. —LT
SWEET-AND-SOUR MEATBALLS
MAKES 6 ENTRÉES, ABOUT 20 MEATBALL SEACH
MEATBALLS
1 TRAY (ABOUT 6 POUNDS) LEAN GROUND BEEF