Big Stonefire News Plus Recipes!

So I’ve got some pretty exciting news to share! For months I have been working with the team at Stonefire Flatbread to create the first official design from my Eat Your Heart Out Collection! As some of you may remember, I've been dreaming up some fun Foodie-inspired designs for quote some time and thanks to my favorite flatbread company, the “Naan Of Your Business” shirts are fresh off the press and will be making their debut this week at The Americana at Brand!

On Wednesday, April 1, 2015, Stonefire® Authentic Flatbreads launches its cross-country food truck tour in partnership with Celebrity Chef Marcel Vigneron, acclaimed global chef and star of hit reality series, Top Chef. Chef Marcel has appeared on the popular reality series Top Chef All-Stars, Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen on the SyFy Network and numerous programs on The Food Network.

Chef Marcel will be hosting a fun food event with the Stonefire Food Truck on April 1 at The Americana in Glendale from 12-5pm. Attendees will have an opportunity to relax and unwind with family and friends while enjoying complimentary samples of Chef Marcel’s original Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads recipes in addition to other activities.

If you can't make it the event, here are some recipes that Chef Marcel will be sharing! Don't forget to enter to win one of my "It's Naan Of Your Business" Shirts int he giveaway at the end of this post! 

Drinking Around Epcot Plus Grand Marnier Slush Recipe

Yum

Did you know: Walt Disney originally wanted to open Disney World in St. Louis but changed his mind because the Anheuser-Busch Corporation said anyone who thought they could open a place without beer in that city was nuts! Those of you who have attended Disneyland in CA may have noticed that you can only purchase alcohol in the California Adventure park. Guess the Disney team wanted to preserve Walt’s wishes on the West Coast, but in Florida, Disney World has quickly become a different story.

By now, knowing my Disney obsession and all, it shouldn't surprise you that back in '08, I spent my 21^st Birthday celebration in Disney World. My parents told me I could pick anywhere, Vegas, Miami, NYC…. Nope, this girl picked Disney World. You see, growing up I was always fascinated by the different food and drink offered in Epcot and I wanted to finally be able to “Drink Around The World”. I’ll admit, I was a lightweight back then... (still am). I made it through about 4 out of the 11 countries on a 90 degree day in August before throwing in the towel.

On a recent trip to WDW for Food Blog Forum, my blogger bestie, Jessica from My Baking Heart and I took our Prince Charmings and decided we were going to Drink Around The World in an attempt to redeem myself. I’ll say, I made an impressive dent in my past record but I wasn't able to check every country off the list. While I still have a ways to go, I thought I would at least put together a guide for those of you who want to take on the challenge! I’ll do my best to update with better pictures as the years go on as well!

Starting in Canada and going counter-clockwise, here it goes!

The 3 Best Gourmet Bites in Disney World, Plus What I Learned atFoodBlog Forum 2015

Those of you who follow along on social media saw all the fun happenings from my time at Food Blog Forum held at Walt Disney World last week. I like to call Food Blog Forum the "creme de la creme" of Food Blogging conferences. If selling out in 2 seconds flat is any indication as to how popular this conference is, it's no surprise that Disney World and the other sponsors were about to go above and beyond to make our experience stellar! 

There are plenty of ways I could recap this experience and I promise you that there will be mini-recaps in my upcoming recipe posts too but for this post, I'm going to just give you a quick play-by-play followed by an "appe-teaser" of a few of my favorite dishes from the fabulous lunch the team at Walt Disney World served us. 

Early Friday morning, The Mr. and I hopped a flight from LAX to MCO. After a little over 4 hours in the sky, we had touched down in Orlando and were ready to go... maybe me a little more so than The Mr.

Thanks to Disney’s Magical Express we didn't have to worry about waiting for our luggage at baggage claim, the team at Disney picked up our bags and delivered them to the hotel within a few hours. I picture little birds and woodland creatures marching around picking up the luggage off the turnstile. Once we were on the Magical Express bus, it was about a 30-40 minute ride over to the Grand Floridian.

If you've read my past FBF recaps, you’ll know that I've dubbed this hotel “The Ritz Carlton of Disney” and it’s no secret why. The property is gorgeous, the service is great, and the convenience of being on the Monorail track is unparalleled. Upon pulling up, I quickly darted to check-in. You see, I had to make my way over to The Four Season Orlando to meet up with the rest of the FBF group for an opening cocktail reception. 

Since I had already missed that bus, literally, I shared an Uber with Jenny of Picky Palate and my girl Heather from Heather Likes Food. In no time at all we were reunited with our fellow Bloggers to nosh and chat! 

I have to say, there are a LOT of conferences out there for bloggers and some of them are very similar. You’ll have a session on food photography, one on monetization, and may even get to chat with a few brand reps. But, to me, the most valuable thing that I get out of a conference is the one on one time with fellow bloggers. They are the ones who have the same questions you do, deal with the same frustrations, and trying to make this passion into a full time gig. I am very grateful for the women (and men) that I have met through blogging conferences and am so glad that I have them in my virtual community to rely on.

My wonderful Blogger Buddies! My Baking Heart, Heather Likes Food, and The Kitchen Prep.

After the reception, it was back over to the hotel to meet up with the Mr. for dinner. My blogging-bestie, Jessica from My Baking Heart brought her hubby too so we had a double date over at Ohana in the Polynesian Resort. We dined on Hawaiian fare, tropical cocktails, and even had a chance to watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom through their giant picture windows. It was great! We wrapped up the night a little early knowing that we had a BIG day of learning ahead of us!

With my trusty Kasey’s Kitchen notebook and a hot green tea in my hand, I was ready for a full day of learning, innovation, and inspiration. Here’s the Reader’s Digest version since I really could go on for hours…

The day was kicked off by a talk with Victoria Finn of Disney Creative. Her job is to create cool things for Disney. I repeat, her JOB is to create cool things for Disney. Obviously this woman had my undivided attention right away. She was captivating, talking about how to stay creative and how to brainstorm in all of her Tina-Fey-like-adorableness. I wish I could have just 15 minutes with her to pick her brain. Talk about my dream job!

Next up was a talk from Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple. If you’re familiar with these two, you know that their food photography is out of this world. They spoke for about an hour on different techniques and tips to elevate your photography and food styling. My favorite quote from Diane was, “Take a bite, cut it up, make it real” in regards to the food that you shoot… however I think that philosophy applies to life as well.

The following session was from Bjork and Lindsay Ostrom of Pinch of Yum along with Jaden from Steamy Kitchen. They spoke to use about new monetization strategies and the concept of being “Expert Enough”, meaning that you don’t have to be the top authority on something to confidently talk about it. This all played into Jaden’s tips for knowing your worth as a blogger and negotiating.

In my opinion, we were spoiled by the next session. Enid, the Community Manager from Pinterest came in and spoke to us on how we can maximize our exposure on the site. As a blogger, you are pretty much self-taught in all aspects of “job”. You have to learn how to be your own agent, marketing consultant, branding specialist, social media manager, photographer and for me, chef! The fact that we had someone on hand from one of the top traffic drivers for blogs was so valuable! If there’s one tip I can share from Enid it’s stop posting horizontal pictures on Pinterest. It’s a waste of space!

The session after lunch (don’t worry, I’ll get to lunch in a minute) were the Expert Roundtable Discussions. They broke us up into small rooms with about 10-12 bloggers in each room. Each speaker from the conference as well as brand reps, would come into the rooms for 15 minutes each and we could just ask them whatever we wanted. It was awesome! Real, raw conversation with top bloggers, brand reps, and photographers. To me, this was the most valuable time from the conference. I’m so glad they did this, it’s what many of the other conferences I've gone to in the past were lacking. 

Okay, Okay. Now the important part, THE FOOD! We were absolutely spoiled by the Food and Beverage team at Walt Disney World, which I'm not going to lie, I was relieved after the last FBF in WDW lunch experience (serving kids meals to food bloggers...no thanks). Set in the beautiful California Grill in the Contemporary Resort, a dozen or so chefs from the top Disney restaurants from all over the resort to share their top dishes with us. It was phenomenal.

There were dozens of fabulous dishes to try but here are my favorites... in no particular order. Pardon the iPhone pictures...there was no way I was delaying my dining to fumble with the DSLR.

1. Braised Pork Belly with Goat Cheese Polenta and Country Applesauce from California Grill - Ok, maybe there's an order because this dish was by far my favorite. The candy-like crystallization on the pork belly was what foodie dreams are made of. Oh, and the creamy polenta was the prefect compliment. I could have eaten at least five of these bad boys, but two had to suffice.

2. Sauteed Shrimp and Scallops with Seasonal Vegetables and Mushrooms served in Puff Pastry with a Creamy Lobster Sauce from Be Our Guest - I'm now seeing what all the rage over BOG is about. The food is incredible, especially for a Magic Kingdom restaurant which in my experience has always been, meh. This dish was rich in flavor, showcasing the beauty of the seafood and pairing it with a french flair with the light Puff Pastry. C'est Magnifique!

3. Braised Beef "Bolognese" with House-made Cavatelli from Trattoria al Forno at Disney's Boardwalk. Being the known Pasta-holic that I am, it's not wonder that I fell for the carbolicious dish! What I found interesting was the spin on a traditional bolognese sauce by using a beautiful braised beef instead of the traditional ground beef. So hearty and comforting!

Food Bloggers at Work!! 

The major knowledge nugget I took away from FBF is to stop comparing myself to other bloggers. It's a vicious trap that I find myself in from time to time (I blame Los Angeles) but it's so easy to get discouraged when you see other bloggers doing things or working with brands and you instantly think that you must not be good enough or that you're not doing things the right way. In the final session led by Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes, she talked about how useless it is to compare yourself to others. Even Elise, who has been running one of the top recipe sites for years falls victim to "Blogger Burnout" and admitted that comparison is the often the culprit.

Want to see more from my trip to Food Blog Forum and Walt Disney World? Check out my Instagram feed or search #KKinDisney! 

A Little Bite of The Taste 2014

Now that the Summer is wrapping up (though you wouldn't know it from the 100 degree weather here in LA) it seems like I can hang up my Press pass for now and recap one of my favorite events of the year, LA Times' The Taste.

Since I know I can only hold your attention for so long, here's a quick video of all the fun!

Special Thanks to Breezeway Productions for the photos and video footage!

Grab The Popcorn, Kasey's Kitchen is Hitting Your TV This Weekend!

Don't forget to watch this Sunday as I compete with two other home cooks to get my dish on the menu of Manhattan Beach Post! I make funny faces, say sarcastic comments, and may even burn a few things... it's worth watching!

Learn some more about the show from our host, Masterchef Alum, Monti Carlo!

(Excerpt taken from interview done with Chris Queen, read the full article here)

1. What can you tell us about the new show?

I’m so stoked to be hosting Make My Food Famous! It’s a competitive cooking show filmed in some of the best restaurants in the country. Three home cooks get to battle it out in a professional kitchen to get their original recipe on a renowned chef’s menu. The pilot airs this Sunday August 31st on A&E’s FYI Network at 10PM ET/PT though you should check your local listings since air times are subject to change. It was shot in Manhattan Beach, California at Michelin Starred Chef David LeFavre’s incredible MB Post.

Chef LeFavre has worked with some of modern cuisine’s culinary giants like Ferran Adria and Charlie Trotter. To impress this man enough to showcase your creation on his menu is an almost impossible feat. To do it as a home cook is a near miracle. The show isn’t just for foodies and culinary enthusiasts. It’s also for people that get a kick out of watching someone hustle to make their dreams come true. It is truly inspirational!

Just A Taste of Fun This Weekend, Plus Ticket Discount

Labor Day Weekend is right around the corner and that means that the backlot of Paramount Studios will soon be lined with white tents dishing out some of the tastiest bites from around Los Angeles! The Taste is back and with 4 events, there will certainly be something for all tastebuds!

Score your tickets now and join in on the fun! Want $20 OFF?? Just enter TASTETHANKS at checkout to receive your exclusive discount! Purchase here!

Join Kasey's Kitchen as we post live via Instagram and Facebook all the sweets, the savories, and the sips!

Saint Martha's Gets Lucky on Friday the 13th!

Do you guys remember that restaurant I was posting about via Instagram? The one that I went to before the ovens were installed and the tables were still being constructed??

Well today's the day they are opening their doors!!

Get all the info below:

Dish Worth Driving To: Top of the Market San Diego

On a recent trip down to San Diego with The Mr., I redeemed a long-standing invitation from Chef Ivan Flowers and his team to dine at Top of the Market. You see, Chef Ivan and I had become buddies via social media in the past year, yet I had never had the opportunity to make it down to his restaurant on the bay! Knowing the reputation of the restaurant, I couldn't let this invite linger any longer. 

True to it's name, this fine dining eatery sit atop The Fish Market Seafood Restaurant on San Diego Bay. The crisp white linens, nautical fixtures and large windows framing the picturesque setting create the perfect atmosphere for a romantic meal for sure. 

We were first greeted by the restaurant's sommelier, Anne Estrada who poured us a delicious glass of NY Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve. These light bubbles were the perfect pour as we prepared for the feast to come. 

LA Wine Fest is Coming! Score Tickets Here! Winner Announced!

L.A.’s largest and longest-running consumer wine-tasting event, LAWineFest aims to make the world of wine fun and accessible for Angelenos. Founded in 2005 by renowned wine personality Dr. Joel M. Fisher, LAWineFest proudly supports local organizations while serving as the Southland’s signature celebration of wine, beer, spirits and food.

The event will be held at the Raleigh Studios in Hollywood on Saturday May 31st 2-6pm & Sunday June 1st from 12-5pm.

Want to join in on the fun? Tickets are still available to purchase, but I'm giving away two (2) tickets to Sunday's events! Just submit in the form below! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more information visit www.LAwineFest.com ! 

Weekend Guide: K-TOWN NIGHT MARKET, LA

Need plans for this weekend?? Look no further, I just got the scoop on the best place to be if you're looking to fill your belly with insanely good food! Check out all the info below! 

Do You Need a Granita?

This afternoon I had the chance to beat the heat and try the new Tea Granitas at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. The two new flavors, Pear Berry and Passion Fruit are blended concoctions of tea, fruit puree and ice. Absolutely refreshing! My personal favorite is the Passion Fruit :-)

Right now, CBTL is running a social media promotion where if come up with your "rhyme-ita" and tag #iNeedaGranita then you're entered for a chance to meet Grammy award winning artist, Zedd.

I got in on the fun with this post below

Read on to learn how you can get in on the Instagram fun! 

Palm Dessert Food & Wine Recap

       The fourth annual Food + Wine Festival Palm Desert took place this weekend "Under the Big White Tent" in the El Paseo Shopping District. The festival, organized by Palm Springs Life magazine, gathered the brightest and most inspired chefs and culinary personalities from across the country for three extraordinary days of live cooking demonstrations, wine and craft beer seminars, and tastings from more than 50 restaurants and 70 premium wineries, spirits purveyors, and microbrewers. 

The festival kicked off with a four-course gourmet luncheon featuring James Beard award-winning chefs and continued through the weekend with Grand Tastings offering bites and sips from renowned chefs and purveyors. The festival also boasted cooking demos, craft beer seminars and interactive wine tastings. 

If you were following the #PDFW hashtag, you may have seen some of my favorite bites from the festival including this Ahi Tuna Wonton from Matchbox. 

A Taste Of The Oscars

Check out the video above to see all the fun I had with Chef Wolfgang Puck trying out the treats that will be served at his Governor's Ball after the 86th Annual Academy Awards!

Below you'll find some of the delicious recipes for your to try at home!

Want Your Picture On The Red Carpet? Here's How!

from the office of The Academy:

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – For the first time, Oscar fans watching the “Oscars Red Carpet Live” show on March 2 on ABC will have the opportunity to see themselves next to the stars on the red carpet through Twitter.

Starting today, fans who follow @TheAcademy and tweet a red carpet-ready photo of themselves using hashtag #MyOscarPhoto will be eligible to have their photo featured on the red carpet.

On Oscar Sunday, arriving nominees, presenters and performers will pose in front of a video wall showcasing fan-submitted photos and generating unique images that will be tweeted back to the original submitter through the @MyOscarPhoto Twitter account.

Additionally, some of the submitted photos will appear on the “Oscars Red Carpet Live” telecast beginning at 4 p.m. PT.

To be eligible, fans must sign the online release form located at www.oscars.org/MyOscarPhoto.

“This is a way to create an once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans and give them the opportunity to literally be a part of the red carpet excitement,” said Josh Spector, the Academy’s managing director of digital media and marketing. “We think it will be a lot of fun – not only getting to see a photo of themselves on the red carpet, but also getting to see who poses in the photo with them.”

“The Academy has long been one of the most innovative partners when it comes to creating a truly social Oscars,” said Andrew Adashek, television partnership manager at Twitter. “We’re excited to see them strengthen their connection to the Twitter audience by letting our users get closer to the red carpet experience than ever before.”

During the broadcast, hosts will describe to viewers at home how they can use Twitter to participate in #MyOscarPhoto and provide updates on the experience throughout the show.

In addition to the #MyOscarPhoto red carpet experience, the Twitter Mirror in a frame designed by Architectural Digest will be placed in the Oscars greenroom to give fans at home more behind-the-scenes access to the show. The stars of the show will stop by the Mirror to take candid photos of themselves, which will be tweeted throughout the night from @TheAcademy.

Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

# # #

ABOUT THE ACADEMY 
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards–in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners–Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

Lights! Camera! EAT! My Coverage of The Taste!

This past weekend marked another epic weekend in eating. It was Labor Day Weekend which in the “Foodie Community” means it’s once again time for The Taste! LA Times’ puts on an amazing event at Paramount Studios where over 50 white pop-up tents line the historical backlot. I was lucky enough to attend 3 out of the 5 events and too be honest, I don’t think my waistline could have afforded any more!

The 5 Things I Learned from Katherine & Sophie of Georgetown Cupcakes

As some of you may know, when it comes to baking, I'm kind of a dud. There's just something about all that time...and measuring...and "not being able to taste the batter"... I go crazy just thinking about it! 
Now, I have the philosophy that if you want to know how to do something, ask! So who better to ask than Katherine and Sophie of Georgetown Cupcake! The DC Cupcakes stars were sweet enough to invite me into their LA location for a private baking session! 
We caught the whole thing on tape and that will be coming to you soon, but while the video is cooking, I wanted to share with you The 5 Things I Learned from Katherine & Sophie of Georgetown Cupcake!

Kasey On The Scene: LA Food & Wine Recap

As I stumbled back into the office this morning, I realized two things. One, I had a friggin' amazing time this weekend at the Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival. And two, my pants are now too tight.

To say there was an abundance of food would be an understatement. I only grazed the surface of the events that the festival had to offer and I was still left in awe and stuffed. The fact that so many talented chefs from all over the country came together to celebrate the common love for their craft is quite amazing when you think about it, and the fact that they are sharing their favorite dishes with you, well, that's just a privilege.

The first event I attended was Giada's Festa Italiana on Thursday night. This was like the "Opening Ceremonies" of the festival. The event was sprawled out on Grand Avenue right in front of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, talk about a beautiful backdrop! As you entered the event you grabbed a wine glass and were quickly immersed into the party. There were hundreds of wine vendors in attendance to keep your thirst quenched and plenty of Italian eateries serving up carb-filled dishes to soak it all up.

Some highlights from the night included the amazing burrata and tomato jam from Stella Barra in Santa Monica, the raw bar from Bouchon, and of course meeting the host of the night herself, Giada Di Laurentiis.

LA Food & Wine: My Chat with Giada and Stuffing My Face

The first night of the LA Food & Wine Festival came to live through Giada's Festa Italiana. It was pretty much a Foodie's fantasy. Picture every hot chef from all over the country in one place, serving their favorite dish, hosted by one of the most popular celebrity chefs and Questlove spinning the whole party. 

I had a chance to chat with the "hostess with the mostess", Giada DiLaurentiis and asked her for the best advise she could give me to get on Food Network Star. She gave me some great words of wisdom and when we parted, she grabbed my hand and said "You're off to a great start, I hope to see you on the show real soon." Yeah, it was pretty perfect. Take a scroll through the pictures in the full album here.

On the Scene: California Spirit 2013

I am so excited to share with you my recap from the California Spirit event that was held last week at The Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. I had given you all a little tastebud teaser with this article before the event and now I’m back with a warm heart and a full belly! Check out the video below for the yummy coverage and interviews with the chefs!

A Peek Inside Fabio's Italian Kitchen

Last weekend I was invited to attend a cooking demo and cookbook signing for Chef Fabio Viviani at Firenze Osteria in Toluca Lake. Now, I’m a bit embarrassed to admit but before the event, I didn’t know who Fabio was, but after a bit a Googling and YouTube clips of Top Chef (Season 5) the charming Italian quickly captured my interest! I soon learned that the only thing more delicious than his accent was his food!

I arrived at the Toluca Lake restaurant early Saturday morning (by early, I mean 10am. That’s L.A. early) and was greeted by my host, Lisa Long who is one of the owners at Firenze Osteria. She was so delightful and welcoming! Lisa quickly introduced me to the man of the hour, Fabio Viviani. Right away, I was captivated. He was so genuine and made me feel right at home, he showed me to a prime seat to watch the demo and thanked me for coming.

When it was time for the demo to begin, Fabio stood in the open kitchen of Firenze and began talking about his latest cookbook, Fabio’s Italian Kitchen. He explained the difficulty of having to write out measurements for American cookbooks, “I don’t use a cup, a teaspoon, or whatever. I use a handful of sugar and sprinkle of salt and how long do you cook it? You cook it until it looks done!”. Obviously the crowd fed off of Fabio’s electric spirit, laughing the whole time. “I don’t understand why you American’s need to measure everything. You’re afraid of messing it up” he explained, “My friend Martha Stewart bought a giant home in Connecticut because you all go out and buy measuring cups!”. Fabio continued to joke saying, “Recipes are like traffic laws. They are there as a guideline but if you change it up a bit, you’ll still be ok!”.

We were all treated to a wonderful three-course lunch by Fabio. For each dish, he would show us how to prepare it and then we got to dig in! We started with his mom’s famous meatballs (the recipe is below, so don’t miss that!) which were hands down the best meatballs I’ve ever had in my life. You can bet I’ll be adding that recipe into my repertoire very soon!

Next up was a Pork Milanese. Fabio explained how the technique of pounding out meat was not to “tenderize it”, but it was to spread it out and make it look like you’re eating more than you actually are, a technique he mastered as part of his very humble upbringing in Italy. “I had two choices on my table every night as a kid. Take it... or... leave it” he explained. As he continued to tell stories of his childhood, including knocking off the Pope’s hat (yes, that happened), we were presented with a delicious golden brown, breaded pork cutlet with a delicate arugula salad dressed with roasted lemon. It was exceptional. So clean, fresh and Fabio explained, only 250 calories! I think that the best line of the day came from the young lady sitting next to me when she confessed that she was a vegetarian but it looked so good she ate it anyway!

By the time dessert came around, I was ready to be rolled out to my car but there was no way I was passing up homemade tiramisu! I was shocked by the simplicity of this dish. Fabio started with egg yolks and sugar and whipped them in a stand mixer (which he likes to kiss before he uses it) until it formed a thick cream. Now don’t freak out, he explained that the motion and the friction with the sugar actually “cooks” the eggs and makes it completely safe to eat. This tiramisu was out of this world and totally shook out the fear I had of trying to master it on my own.

I am thrilled that I had the chance to partake in this experience! A huge thanks to Fabio, Lisa and their team for making it so much fun! Don’t forget to check out the recipe below!

Fabio's Mom's Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef

4 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese

1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, minced

1 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 cups Fabio’s Tomato Sauce (see recipe on page 18)

Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Place all ingredients except the tomato sauce, the parsley, and the extra-virgin olive oil in a medium-size bowl and mix thoroughly by hand until they are completely combined and the mixture is uniformly firm.

Coat your hands in olive oil, and form balls slightly bigger than a golf ball.

Heat the tomato sauce in a saucepan over medium heat, then drop the meatballs into the sauce and add enough water to allow the sauce to reduce and simmer but not so much that the sauce is totally liquid. Cook for about 10 minutes on one side, then turn the meatballs over, add some more water, and cook for another 10 minutes, using a spoon to cover the meatballs with the sauce as they simmer. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.

Serve with chopped parsley, salt and pepper, more Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, of course!

TIP: Don’t waste expensive cuts of meat on meatballs! If prepared correctly, a cheaper cut of meat like beef shoulder/chuck, or even scraps will work perfectly.