Ree Drummond Italian Beef Food

SPICY ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• For the meatballs: Combine the ground beef, pork, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, ricotta, parsley, crushed red pepper, salt, garlic, eggs, milk and black pepper in a bowl. Mash with your hands until thoroughly combined. Form into small balls and place on a baking sheet. Set in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in batches until nice and deep golden, then move them to a plate.
• For the sauce: Into the same skillet, add the garlic and onions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, parsley, tomato paste, sugar, salt, crushed red pepper and black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add the meatballs back to the skillet and simmer another 15 minutes. Keep warm until serving.
• Transfer to a chafing dish and serve with frilly toothpicks.

ITALIAN MEATBALL SOUP

Steps:

• To make the meatballs, add the ground beef, grated Parmesan, 3 tablespoons of the parsley, the lemon juice, ground oregano, garlic, egg, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper to a bowl and mix together well. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls.
• In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in batches, turning to brown all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. No need to cook them all the way as they'll go back into the soup later. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Now, grab some beef stock and pour it into a pot. Add some salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste--it adds so much yummy richness. Make a bouquet garni by adding the peppercorns, bay leaves and remaining 1/4 cup parsley to a piece of cheesecloth and tying it into a bundle using kitchen twine; drop it right into the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
• Remove the bouquet garni, which now resembles a jellyfish with jaundice. Go ahead and discard it; it's lived a full life. Add the diced potatoes, carrots, celery and onions and the sliced cabbage. Finally, in go the browned meatballs. Let the soup simmer long enough for the vegetables to get slightly tender and the meatballs to cook all the way through, another 20 minutes or so.
• You can sprinkle the soup with some freshly grated Parmesan if you'd like one last dose of decadence. Serve with crusty bread.

ITALIAN MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the meatloaf: Pour the milk over the bread and allow it to soak in for several minutes. Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, seasoned salt and some pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs. With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined.
• Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a foil-lined broiler pan, which will allow the fat from the meat to drain. Lay the pancetta slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf to give the meatloaf some support.
• For the tomato sauce: Put the diced tomatoes into a bowl. Add the brown sugar, dry mustard and cayenne pepper and splash in the Worcestershire sauce. Stir the mixture until well combined. Pour one-third of the sauce over the top of the meatloaf.
• Bake for 45 minutes, and then pour another third of the remaining tomato sauce over the meatloaf. Bake until no longer pink in the middle, for an additional 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to sit 10 minutes before serving.
• Serve with the remaining tomato sauce on the side as a dipping sauce.

DRIP BEEF SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Sprinkle the chuck roast with salt and pepper.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and the canola oil in a heavy pot over high heat. Sear both sides of the chuck roast until very browned, about 5 minutes in all. Pour in the beef broth and 1 cup water. Add the rosemary, and then pour in the pepperoncini with their juices. Now cover the pot and simmer until the meat is tender and falling apart, 4 to 5 hours.
• Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add the onions and saute until light golden brown. Set aside.
• Remove the roast from the pot and shred the meat completely using two forks. Return the meat to the cooking liquid and keep warm.
• To serve, slice wedges out of the tops of the deli rolls. Heap a generous portion of meat on each roll, and then spoon some of the cooking liquid over the meat. Top with a few peppers from the pot and plenty of caramelized onions. Top the sandwiches with the wedges of roll and serve to a roomful of ravenous guests. You¿ll win friends and influence people.