Mediterranean Diet

wtg · 1 Jun 2025, 23:14

I bought a three pack of Pompeian organic at Costco. We thought they were better than average. But we aren't gnocchi connoisseurs...

https://pompeian.com/gnocchi/

Mik · wrote on 6 Jan 2025, 23:22

Look good. I'll give them a shot!

AdagioM · W wtg 6 Jan 2025, 20:29

@wtg I love Smitten Kitchen. I mostly cook from online sites, hers and NYT especially. But I bought her book to be supportive, and then gave it to my sister, who likes cookbooks.

We loved the olive oil brownies. My kids did, too. Densely chocolate. Didn’t taste like olive oil.

wtg · 1 Jul 2025, 15:09

@Mik said in Mediterranean Diet:

Making Chicken Meatballs Marsala tonight, an NYT recipe.

How did it turn out? I looked at the recipe and it looked really good, though I wondered about the amount of water added at the end. Did you/would you adjust anything?

Mik · wrote on 7 Jan 2025, 15:57

I made the meatballs last night and will finish them tonight for dinner. Ran short of time.

Mik · 1 Jul 2025, 16:37

Just looked, yeah, looks like too much water. I also used half the onions. If you follow the recipe you'll have 3 cups of onions in the sauce. Too much.

Jodi · wrote on 8 Jan 2025, 00:37

I just cooked the NYT spinach and feta gnocchi that Dol posted and WTG linked to - as written except used dried used have the lemon juice (suggested in multiple comments) and dried dill and mint - it was really good! There are two other crispy gnocchi recipes in the NYT app, going to try them too. One with tomatoes and red onions, and one made on a sheet pan with broccoli and sausage. I guess I don’t know what good gnocchi tastes like, I used the one from Italy that I bought at Walmart, and we liked it. Will try the Costco one (may try to make it some day - but I really like the convenience of the stuff in the shelf stable bag!).

Jodi · wrote on 8 Jan 2025, 00:38

Should say “used half the lemon juice)

Jodi · wrote on 8 Jan 2025, 00:40

Just found this - maybe frying/roasting them makes the difference. https://www.bonappetit.com/story/roast-your-store-bought-gnocchi?srsltid=AfmBOoqvHMSSAxkE72chN_tYM7qmdgsAjQClEqvlA-YGFNUKvH4ph4LA

wtg · 1 Nov 2025, 22:53

@Mik said in Mediterranean Diet:

Making Chicken Meatballs Marsala tonight, an NYT recipe.

After you posted this, I was able to get around the paywall and see the recipe but when I went to make it today it was eluding me. I switched gears.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-marsala-meatballs-2561492

Loved that you broil the meatballs. Much easier than cooking in a skillet.

Finished product, making it according to the recipe.

I would also tweak the recipe in a couple of ways... increase the amount of flour a bit; she uses a 1 1/2 tsp of flour to 1 1/4 cups chicken stock and 1/3 cup marsala and it was a bit thinner than we like. I think at least a tablespoon, maybe a bit more. And change the ratio of stock and marsala. More marsala FTW!

I threw in a few handfuls of spinach that I needed to use up, and ended up with this.

If I did the spinach thing again, I'd probably double up on the sauce. Between the farfalle and the spinach, it could have used a bit more sauce.

All in all, a keeper.

Mik · wrote on 11 Jan 2025, 23:54

I thought the sauce quite good, but did not care for the meatball texture at all. Still, a keeper. If you can’t get to it just ask. I can copy.

wtg · 1 Dec 2025, 00:22

@Mik thanks for the offer, but I got to the NYT recipe via another browser just now.

NYT uses a lot more marsala than my Giada recipe, which is a good thing.

Meatballs were too tender/soft. My recipe called for a beaten egg, presumably as a binder, but they didn't firm much up at all. Minced shallot in the skillet, not added to the meatballs. I could see cooking the shallots and putting them in the meatballs (I do that with onions in meatloaf), but that won't help the soft texture.

Not sure what to do to firm them up. Maybe more breadcrumbs?

Mik · 12 Jan 2025, 02:18

Use veal, pork and beef.

Or just use chicken or veal scallops.

wtg · 1 Dec 2025, 02:18

@Mik said in Mediterranean Diet:

Use veal, pork and beef.

aka “Meatloaf Marsala”

Just doesn’t have the right ring to it.

Mik · 1 Dec 2025, 02:35

Works for me since I don’t care for tomato sauces meatloaf. All about the mushroom gravy. Marsala would work fine. Thanks for the idea!!

wtg · wrote on 12 Jan 2025, 02:43

This is my favorite meatloaf recipe, from The Silver Palate people. Half a cup of ketchup in, not on top of, the meatloaf. I don’t do the water bath. Just roast it. I’ve also just used ground pork instead of the sausage meat.

https://theweatheredgreytable.com/2018/09/29/market-street-meatloaf/

Mik · wrote on 12 Jan 2025, 04:29

I use the Lipton onion mushroom soup recipe, but mix up the meat, pork and beef.

https://www.cooks.com/recipe/4n5x48ps/lipton-onion-mushroom-meatloaf.html

wtg · 1 Dec 2025, 04:39

Sounds like a great recipe, but the salt in the soup mix would be an no-no for me.

Maybe porcini powder…

https://www.thespicehouse.com/products/porcini-mushroom-powder

Or I could grind some of the dried mushrooms I picked up from Costco recently. Way cheaper than SH.

Time to experiment. Mr wtg has been making noises about meatloaf.

Mik · wrote on 12 Jan 2025, 13:44

I have some SH porcini powder and have not been impressed. You might be better off to use fresh mushrooms and onions and a bit less water. Throw some umami powder in.

Steve Miller · 12 Jan 2025, 15:00

This is my new go-to meatloaf recipe. Prep is a bit more involved than most recipes but the taste is there and it holds together well.

https://thecozycook.com/turkey-meatloaf-recipe/

WTF-Beta

Mediterranean Diet