Written by Palmetto Bluff
Sep 20, 2023
Before delving into the ingredients and recipe for Buffalos’ delectable Ricotta Meatballs and Sauce, it is imperative that the chef has an excellent cocktail for cooking. Pairing the sweetness of pineapple with the woody flavor of cinnamon, Your Pine-ness is a scrumptious twist on a margarita for the transition from summer to fall.
Ingredients:
2 oz. of Blanco tequila
2 tablespoons of cinnamon simple syrup
.5 oz. of lime juice
2 oz. of pineapple juice
Brown sugar
Chunk of pineapple
Cinnamon stick
Instructions:
Pour brown sugar on a small plate. Run a lime wedge over the rim of your glass, dip in sugar, and set aside. Combine the Blanco tequila, cinnamon simple syrup, lime juice, and pineapple juice in a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice and shake for 15 seconds. Add ice to your rimmed glass, and pour the mix into the glass. Light a flame on the tip of the cinnamon stick and blow out for a smoky taste. Garnish with a chunk of pineapple and smoked cinnamon stick.
Now that the chef has a cocktail in hand, below is the recipe from Buffalos’ Chef de Cuisine, Alejandro Gomez Moran, yielding six ricotta meatballs with homemade sauce.
Sauce Ingredients:
109 oz. of canned San Marzano Tomatoes
32 oz. of chopped onion
2.5 oz. of chopped garlic
1 bay leaf
3 oz. of salt
1 oz. of pepper
3 sprigs of thyme
3 sprigs of basil
Sauce Instructions:
Set a pot with olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic and onion. Let it cook until translucid. Add the canned tomato and herbs. Turn the heat down and let the sauce cook slowly for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the bay leave and thyme. Blend the sauce and put it back 15 minutes more on the heat and season it with salt and pepper.
Meatball Ingredients:
1.5 pounds of ground pork
1.5 pounds of veal
1.5 pounds of ricotta cheese
1 cup of bread crumbs
1 cup of pecorino cheese
3 eggs
2 tablespoons of onion powder
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
3 tablespoons of Italian herbs
½ a cup of chopped parsley
Salt to taste
Meatball Instructions:
Put all the ingredients into the mixer and work it for 4 minutes at level 2 and mix until get a dough. Make 4-ounce meatballs with the dough. Put the meatballs in a hotel pan add the sauce and cover it with aluminum foil. Set the oven to 350F and cook the meatballs for 20 minutes (until they reach 160F and are no longer pink in the center). Serve the meatballs on a plate, or even over pasta, and finish it with parmesan cheese and basil.
