The Road to Chef-dom

This can serve as a double recommendation of the book "How to Boil Water" by the Food Network. This book is always within arms reach whenever I set out on a new cooking adventure. Lots of pictures and step-by-step instructions of how to do the "simple" tasks of chopping an onion, or the afore mentioned preparing a zucchini or squash, are priceless.

Below is a simple and delicious recipe guarenteed to make you appear like a cook extradionairre.

Upon one of my visits to Virginia to see my fiance Matt, we decided to make dinner together. The recipe we decided to take on was a recommendation from a friend who has done tedious research for her own husband's picky palate and it turned out decliously. Don't let the somewhat lengthy ingredient list intimidate you. If I can do it, you can do it!

Chicken Parm Meatall Subs

1.5 lb groud chicken
1 tbsp grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
1 egg
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmegan works too)
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
Handful of chopped parsley leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling, 3tbsp, and 3 turns of the pan
2 large cloves of garlic, cracked from skin and split
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 (28-0z) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock (which I determined is the same thing as chicken broth... please inform me otherwise if necessary)
salt and pepper
8 to 10 leaves fresh basil, torn and shredded
4 (6-8 inch) crusty sub rolls
1.5 cups shredded provolone

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place chicken in a bowl and season with grill seasoning. Add egg, half of the grated cheese, braed crumbs, parsley, and a serious drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to the bowl. Mix the meat (with hands!) and form 12 large meatballs. Squish teh balls to flatten them a bit like mini oval meatloaves.

(Be carely not to form the balls wider than your bread. The flattened balls will stay put on your sub, no roll-aways!)

Bake the meatballs 15 minutes until golden and firm. Switch the broiler on.

While the meatballs bake, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and cook 5 minutes then remove the cloves. Add crushed red pepper flakes then tomatoes and stir in the chicken broth. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and simmer 10 minutes, adjusting seasoning and stir in the basil. Reserve some extra sauce for dipping on dinner table.

Remove the meat from oven and loosen with a thin spatula. Turn meatballs in sauce.

Cut sub rolls making the bottom a little deeper than the top. Hollow out a little braed and lightly toast the sub rolls under broiler. Fill the bottoms of the braed with flattened balls and sauce. COmbine the provolone and remaining Parmigiano. Cover teh subs with cheese and return to broiler to melt the cheese until golden.

As far as my creativity allows, this recipe can be done in 2 ways, either as the full Meatball Subs, or you can simply make the meatballs, still topping with provolone and remaining Parmigiano, and add a side or two.

Side Suggestions:
Cooked Carrots (boil carrots until just softened, then melt some brown sugar with a little bit of butter on the stove and saute carrots until completely soften and flavored!)
Any frozen veggie
Rice
bread (if not making full subs)

As I said, this recipe guarentees chef-dom status. The night I made this in Virginia (the meatballs solo with cooked carrots and rice), one of Matt's coworkers was in town and happened to stop by just as we were eating dinner. Being the polite hostess that I was, I handed him a plate and offered him some dinner. Word has it that all of Matt's coworkers now think Matt is marrying "an awesome cook" due to the reputation of these meatballs! Little do they know the mishaps and distress that occur when I am in the kitchen! But if you can pull this recipe off with as much ease as I was able to, you, too, can have the reputations of an "awesome cook" to those who just don't know any better. :) Enjoy!