Beetballs
Ingredients
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 medium raw beet
1/2 cup raw pecans, almonds, or other nuts (see note for low-fat alternative)
1/2 medium red or yellow onion , coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic , chopped
1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (mild or spicy)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon hickory smoked salt or Liquid Smoke (optional)
2 medium zucchini’s for noodles
Homemade Tomato sauce
1 medium onion, Pealed and quartered
2 stalks of celery, cleaned and cut into chunks
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 14.5 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 good handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 good handful fresh basil, chopped
Salt and Pepper , to taste
Instructions
Place the mushrooms in a small saucepan and add 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and rinse them well and set aside. Strain the broth through a coffee filter or fine sieve and reserve it for later use. (Leftover mushroom broth can be used in any recipe that calls for vegetable broth.)
While the mushrooms are cooking, put the nuts into a food processor and pulse to chop finely. Do not over-process--we want finely chopped nuts, not nut powder. Place the nuts in a large mixing bowl.
Peel the beet and cut it into cubes. Add it to the food processor along with the reserved mushrooms, garlic, and onion and pulse to chop coarsely. Add the chickpeas and all remaining ingredients and pulse several times to chop the chickpeas, but do not turn it into a paste. All the individual ingredients should be recognizable.
Add the processor contents to the nuts and stir well to combine. If the mixture seems dry, add a tablespoon of the reserved mushroom broth. Allow the mixture to rest while you preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, measure out a heaping tablespoon of "dough." Using damp hands, form it into a ball, squeezing lightly to compact it. If the dough seems too dry, add additional broth (this should not be necessary--you don't want the dough to be too wet). Place the ball on the lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. You should be able to make about 18-22 balls. If you like, flatten some of the balls to use in sandwiches or on pizza.
Bake until the balls are brown and slightly crisp on the outside, about 35 minutes. (Flattened balls will take a little less time.) Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
While baking, start the sauce. Add the onion, carrots and celery and to a food processor and chop it into small pieces.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat and saute the onion, celery, and carrots until they are soft and no liquid is being released from them.
In the middle of the softened vegetables, form a well, add the remaining olive oil, followed by the garlic. Allow the garlic to brown slightly (being careful not to let it burn).
Mix in the tomatoes and herbs.
Add seasoning, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
If you like a thinner sauce you can add it to the food processor and puree into your desired consistency or if you like a thicker sauce, skip this step.
Notes
I prefer these with pecans, and almonds are my second choice, but for a lower-fat alternative, substitute cooked quinoa. The mixture will be moister, and you should not need to add any broth. If it's too moist, try adding another teaspoon of ground flaxseed and let it rest for a few minutes before handling
10 oz pork shoulder, ground
10 oz beef chuck, ground
4 oz pork fat, ground
6 oz day old break (breadcrumbs, find some keto variety)
1 c flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tbs + 2 tsp salt
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried chili flakes
2/3 c fresh ricotta, drained
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c whole milk
1-28 oz can tomatoes, crushed
handful of fresh basil
grana padano
olive oil
Instructions
preheat oven to 400, line baking sheet
combine meat, parsely, 1 Tbs salt, oregano, fennel seeds and chili flakes with hands in small bowl
In separate bowl, combine ricotta, egg and milk (lightly). Do not overwork
Form 1-1/2 in balls (about 30 of em)
Bake 15-20 min, until brown. Rotate if needed
Mix salt with tomatoes
Take pan out and lower temp to 300F
Cover tomatoes in foil tightly, braise 1-1.5 hrs, until meatballs tender and absorb some sauce
Remove pan and sprinkle some basil leaves on top
Top with Grana Padang and olive oil
