Delicious Meatballs sub and Jalapeno poppers

 I was on Facebook this morning and what caught my attention was -

"made Meatballs Sub with Jalapeno Poppers for lunch... Recipe will be up on my mom's blog pretty soon!"

So you can feel my excitement about sharing a recipe that my daughter so endearingly made for the family over the weekend. She is one of those who will not shy away from doing things from scratch - no shortcuts for her!!! I have already heard and read  rave reviews about this recipe. I sent her a request for making this as my birthday treat!This is the response I got : "@mom: we crave for ur food more... so u r one against 3." I don't think I am in for any good luck with this, so even I am going to make this delectable looking recipe. Enjoy!

MEATBALLS SUB SANDWICH - SERVES 4 

Tomato Sauce 

Ingredients

- 680 ml Tomato paste

- 680 ml Water

- 3-4 tbsp Olive oil

- 1 large Onion, chopped

- 4-5 King Oyster mushrooms, cut lengthwise

- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

- ½ cup Parsley

- ½ Beef flavoured cube

- 2 tsp Red Chilli powder

- 2 tsp Black Pepper

- 1 tsp Oregano

- 1 tsp ground cumin

- 2 tsp Worcester Sauce

- 1 tsp Soya sauce

- 2 tbsp lemon juice

- Salt according to taste

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium-low heat.

2. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until it is translucent.

3. Add the garlic, mushrooms, soya sauce and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the tomato paste, water, beef cube, red chilli, black pepper, oregano, cumin, worcester sauce, lemon juice

5. Cook and bring to a boil, stirring frequently and add salt.

6. Reduce to a nice saucy/creamy consistency on medium-high flame.

7. Add parsley and let it simmer. 

8. Add the meatballs to the sauce and stir carefully to coat them, then simmer gently for 10 minutes.

  

Meatballs

Ingredients

- 1 lb Ground Beef

- 1 small Onion, finely chopped 

- ½ cup Parsley

- ¼ cup Mint

- 1 Egg

- Ginger/Garlic paste

- ½ tsp Black Pepper

- ½ tsp Red Chilli powder

- ½ tsp Italian Seasoning (Optional)

- Salt according to taste

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients together.

2. Set aside for an hour.

3. Form mixture into balls.

3. Pan-sear the meatballs until it gets a nice crispy dark brown crust and then put them in the sauce to simmer.

Tip: For that extra bit of flavour, after you’ve seared the meatballs, deglaze the pan with a little bit of the tomato sauce and pour it back into the pot.  

Assembly

- Hoagie Rolls/ Calabrese Buns, cut in half

- Pre-cut Salad Mix

- Mayonnaise

- Shredded Tex-Mex Cheese

1. Lightly toast the rolls and generously spread mayonnaise on both sides. 

2. Layer in the buns the meatballs, sauce, salad mix and cheese.

3. Gobble!

JALAPENO POPPERS - SERVES 4

Ingredients

- Olive oil for deep frying

- 8 Jalapenos peppers, seeded

- 1 cup shredded Tex-Mex Cheese

- ½ cup salami, cut in small bite-size strips

- 1 Egg

- ½ cup milk

- ½ cup bread crumbs

- ½ cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Cut the top of the Jalapeno peppers and using a butter-knife, neatly remove the seeds.

2. Mix the cheese and the salami bits and the stuff the peppers with it. Optional: Pan-sear the salami bits for a crunchy texture.

3. Put the milk, flour and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls.

4. Dip the stuffed jalapenos first into the milk then into the flour, making sure they are well coated with each. Allow the coated jalapenos to dry for about 10 minutes.

5. Dip the jalapenos in milk again and roll them through the breadcrumbs. Allow them to dry, then repeat to ensure the entire surface of the jalapeno is coated.

6. In a medium skillet, heat the oil to 365 degrees F ( 180 degrees C). Deep fry the coated jalapenos 2 to 3 minutes each, until golden brown. Remove and let drain on a paper towel.

Tip: For those who let their tastebuds decide their menu, you may add a chunk of cream cheese and a dash of black pepper to the cheese and salami bits mixture for a much creamier bite.