Run the meats and fat through the large die on your mincer twice.
Refrigerate for a day or two.
Form into small meatballs 1 teaspoon in size (7g) Freeze.
Melt
the butter in a large deep frypan and remove from the heat. Do not allow to
nut or brown.
Tilt the pan and add the garlic into the pool of melted butter and stand 15
minutes. Mash with a spoon.
Add the UHT cream and bring to the boil, then add the Tomato soup and milk.
Bring to the boil again.
13 minutes cooking time when the meatballs go in.
Ensure your pasta is timed to cook ahead by 2 mins.
Add the frozen
meatballs and cover with sauce. Simmer 7 minutes and then disturb the
meatballs to upend.
Add the champignons and push in to cover with sauce. Simmer 5 minutes
untouched.
Add the cherry tomatoes on top and stir carefully to upend the meatballs. Cook
for another 3 minutes.
Plate the spaghetti with a well in the middle. Sprinkle a small amount of
mozarella cheese over the spaghetti.
Spoon the meatballs into the middle. Cover with sauce and top with lots of parmesan.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What is Umami. Chefs now say this word as a flavour and
ingredient. Umami is MSG. Mono sodium glutimate. MSG in packet form is
exactly the same as natural MSG found in most foods. Some foods have
higher levels of natural MSG. Such as human breast milk, seaweed, ripe
tomatoes, parmesan cheese, soy sauce, tomato soup, beef, anchovies,
tuna, mushrooms, vegemite and so many more. Even rosemary, thyme and
green tea. Everybody consumes
MSG everyday.
I believe the harmful effects of MSG have been grossly exaggerated. An obese
65 year old asthmatic diabetic that smokes and drinks has an asthma attack
after eating a gutful of bad chinese in the 1980's and that's the benchmark
for the rest of us not using MSG. It is a fact that if I do the same my
heart rate does increase and I have a sleepless night. But my days of eating
a gutful of bad chinese takeaway are long gone.
I have experimented a bit with MSG. To get a bad effect you need to use
about a tablespoon in a dish. That's a lot. I have found if I use a pinch of MSG with
a pinch of salt where I might have used several large pinchs of salt
the intensity of the salt increases with a Umami Effect. Used correctly
Umami simply opens up taste buds in your cheeks and throughout your mouth.
Thats the only effect you want MSG to have and its a good effect. The exact
same effect you get after eating a Big Mac.
The perfect balance of MSG to
salt brings food alive. Every chef is, must and will continue to use
MSG (naturally or added) regardless of what they tell you. No added MSG does
not mean a dish will not contain MSG. The above recipe is an example of
using No Added MSG but having a load of MSG in the dish.
Umami Burgers (Costa Mesa) are at the cutting edge. As much MSG as can
be crammed into a recipe. It might actually be too much as my heart rate
did rise shortly after consuming one of the tastiest burgers I have ever
had.
200g Chuck steak (lean)
200g Pork Butt
(lean)
100g Pork Fat
Sauce:
30g butter
6 cloves garlic crushed and chopped
420g condensed tomato soup (Heinz)
200ml UHT Cream
80ml milk
120g Champignons
120g Cherry tomatoes (small)
Thick spaghetti
Parmesan and Mozarella Cheese
If the cherry tomatoes are larger than 2cm or so then cut in half.
In the past I have added to the meatball such things as flour and
breadcrumbs, egg, worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, parmesan cheese
etc and it works. But a simple well made meatball with good quality meat
and the right amount of pork fat is better than them all. But thats just
me. Go ahead, experiment and come up with your own unique family recipe.
Are you that person that eats all the coffee mate at work. Than this is for you.
Don't worry that it uses canned soup and UHT cream. These combine to
create a unique and wonderful flavour that is quite addictive.
Big Mac type addictive. I like it, my kids love it. I can't think of
anything else that has this taste. Really Good.
Cooking the meatballs directly from frozen allows them to hold together
in the sauce and makes the meatball very soft. It's impossible to make a
good meatball or hamburger patty with cheap mince or less than 20% fat.
Its really hit and miss with the butchers mince. So, I mince chuck steak
(lean) and pork butt with some extra pork fat to the 80/20 ratios. I
make 3 kg of meatballs and freeze in 500g packs. This way works.
The reason this
dish works so well is that it is loaded with natural Umami. Garlic, tomato,
beef, pork fat, mushrooms, UHT cream,
tomato soup, pepper and parmesan. Sure is tasty. Surprisingly adding herbs undermines the fabulous
and very unique taste of this dish.
Click Image