Special Italian Meat Food

ITALIAN MEAT BOWLS

Steps:

• Combine the milk and 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs in a large bowl and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, egg, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and 1 teaspoon salt. Use your hands to stir everything together until well combined. Add the ground beef and mix until just combined.
• Drop rounded tablespoons of the meat mixture into a 24-cup miniature muffin tin. Use your fingers to push the meat into the bottom and up the sides of each cup to form a small bowl shape. Press 1 cube of mozzarella into each bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until solid, about 2 hours. (This can be done a day in advance.)
• Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat it to 450 degrees F. Set a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet and spray it generously with cooking spray. Put the remaining 1/4 cup breadcrumbs in a small bowl.
• Use a small offset spatula or butter knife to help nudge the frozen meat bowls out of the muffin tin. Roll the outside of each bowl in the breadcrumbs to coat completely and place on the prepared rack. Spoon 1 teaspoon of marinara sauce into each bowl. Combine the oregano, crushed red pepper and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan in a small bowl and sprinkle some on each meat bowl.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheet once halfway through, until the meat is just cooked through and the breadcrumbs are crispy, 15 to 20 minutes.

SPECIAL ITALIAN MEAT

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and paprika in a large bowl; set aside.
• Dissolve the bouillon cube in the water in a 2 quart casserole dish, then whisk in the sherry, tomato soup, garlic powder, sugar, oregano, thyme, rosemary until blended; set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss the beef in the flour mixture to coat, and shake off excess. Cook the beef in the hot oil, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Remove the beef to the casserole dish, and reduce heat to medium. Stir in the onion, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir the onion into the beef mixture.
• Cover, and bake in the preheated oven until the meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.