Sicilian Archives - Recipes At My Table

Beef And Rice Meatballs With Lemon Sauce

There are always so many ways to prepare meatballs and today I am combining the meat with the rice. It is a filling that we use often in Italian cooking as a stuffing. My Beef and Rice Meatballs with Lemon Sauce bring together my Calabrese and Sicilian heritage. The table is fresh and lemony tonight.

Changing the way we prepare supper

What I love most about my Italian friends is how supper is light and refreshing; it is never heavy or difficult to prepare. My Beef and Rice Meatballs with Lemon Sauce come together in one pan and I serve them along some freshly sliced grilled zucchini. We certainly try to eat lighter meals and night and this is a winner in every way.

For another wonderful meatball recipe see https://recipesatmytable.com/agrodolce-tomato-basil-turkey-meatballs/

Ingredients Beef And Rice Meatballs With Lemon Sauce

6 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion
2 cloves garlic (divided)
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
a pound lean ground beef
1 cup cooked Arborio rice
salt and pepper to taste
juice and zest of half a lemon
1 tbsp Limoncello liqueur
1 tbsp butter

PRocess

Boil the rice, drain and set aside to cool. Finely chop the 1 garlic clove and onion. I use a mini food processor. Add this to the beef. Next put in the minced parsley and cooled rice. Mix together.

Use a small ice cream scooper to make the meatballs.

Place 3 tbsp of olive oil into a pan set on medium heat. Brown the meatballs in batches and remove to a plate.

Add the remaining 3 tbs of olive oil to the pan. Sprinkle in the Italian Seasoning and add the whole garlic clove and warm-up these fragrant additions. Now pour in the 1/2 cup broth and the lemon juice. Scrap up any brown bits in the pan.

Now return the meatballs to the pan. Cover on low heat for 5 minutes. Remove the meatballs and place on a platter keeping them warm. Add the limoncello and butter to the sauce and reduce.

Pour the sauce over the meatballs and sprinkle with the lemon zest.

We served it with grilled zucchini tonight.

March 2, 2022March 2, 2022

Sicilian Style Kabobs

In Sicily they have these little rolled up meat bundles with grill marks. They look like the Calabrese braciole, but are different. My Sicilian Style Kabobs require thin beef or fettina from your butcher or supermarket. The Moroccan flavours shine through with the addition of golden raisins and I add a little nutmeg to the stuffing. Sometimes these little meat pockets are referred to as involtini. Once again, it depends on who is making them and where they are in Italy. It is all good.

Sicilian Style Kabobs are easy to make. Now traditional kabobs are skewered with vegetables, but I like to cook these alone. Sometimes, I serve roasted vegetables like peppers or onions alongside of them. Tonight we serve them with roasted potatoes and a simple arugula salad. This is a wonderful meal for family or entertaining. You can thread the kabobs onto skewers or grill them alone. I like the skewers because they look pretty on the table.

One of my favourite involtini recipes on my blog https://recipesatmytable.com/chicken-involtini-with-feta-and-asparagus/

The filling

Ingredients

1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup each of soaked golden raisins, chopped almonds, and shredded mozzarella
3/4 cup cold water
1 egg
freshly ground nutmeg

The other ingredients

olive oil for grilling
1 lb of thinly sliced beef or fettina
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

I use thinly sliced beef or fettina from the local butcher shop.

In a small bowl I mix the ingredients for the filling. Make sure that you soak the raisins. This will be a thick mixture that you will spread thinly on the beef.

I sliced each piece of beef into two pieces and spread the filling all the way down the centre.

Next roll up from the thinest point up and cut in half. Set all the little rolls aside.

You can see all the rolls hold together. I have soaked my wooden skewers in water. Now I need to put them all together. I decided not to put any other vegetables on these skewers, but you could thread onions and peppers along with the kabobs.

Sicilian Style Kabobs: Recipes At My Table

Now lightly spray them with olive oil and sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and put on a hot grill.

They only require a couple of minutes on each side.

I served these on a bed of arugula. For my dressing I used some olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and some Dijon mustard. Keep it simple.

My lovely roast potatoes alongside made a wonderful meal.

March 10, 2021March 10, 2021

Sicilian Caponata

Sicilian Caponata is a traditional dish that can take a long time to cook. My version is a quick one and it is a great way to make this as an appetizer. This recipe made about 4 cups for me. You can preserve it with extra olive oil in jars in the refrigerator and holds for a few months because of the vinegar. Always remember, that there are many versions of these Italian dishes.

Traditional Caponata has capers in it, but I left them out today. When I travel Sicily, it has many different ingredients. You can use green olives, black olives, some peppers, some raisins, pine nuts and all sorts of additions. Be creative with it and own it. Whatever you add, know that you made it at home with your special twist on it.

When we visited Sicily for the first time in 1975, my nonna Marietta had many special treats for us. I still see the jars of caponata and artichokes lined up. It was with pride that she made and served us those dishes. I am always in awe of these wonderful women in my life who shared their recipes for a lifetime of memories. Passed down for generations, these are the recipes that I continue to bring to the table with the same pride.

Another great eggplant appetizer on my blog https://recipesatmytable.com/eggplant-boat-salad/

INGREDIENTS

1 extra large Italian eggplant
1/4 cup cups extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 celery ribs thinly sliced
20 whole kalamata a olives
1/2 cup of golden raisins
1 tablespoons sugar
2 tbsp white or red wine vinegar
1 cup chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper

Process

Wash and peel eggplants with a potato peeler and leave some strips. Cut the eggplant into small 1/2 inc cubes.Place the oil in a large frying pan and add the onion and the eggplants. Generously salt and pepper everything.This is when I add the sugar to help caramelize everything.

Follow with the celery and cook a few more minutes.

Next I add the olives and cook. After a few minutes I add the vinegar.

In go the tomatoes and you can see the little bubbles on the side. Let this simmer for 15 minutes.

Finally I put in the golden raisins and simmer for another 15 minutes. It should bubble away and be thick when it is done. No liquid.

It is all done and up close it looks thick and luscious. I add extra olive oil to preserve and plate.

Presented in small bowls as an appetizer.

March 5, 2021March 5, 2021