Bacon Meatball Subs

When I was younger, it was my dad's job to do the grocery shopping, and he always went on Saturdays.  Sometimes I would tag along with him, and as I followed up and down the aisles, we would make sure to try all the free samples they were offering that weekend.  Back then, the grocery stores must have been rolling in dough or otherwise feeling generous, because they were giving away so much food that little girls like me often went home with full tummies, feeling spoiled by free treats and indulgent dads.  

Other weekends, I would stay at home with my mom while my dad did the grocery shopping, and those times he would usually make a stop at Subway on the way home to pick up lunch for us.  I remember I used to try out all different sorts of subs (I eventually decided I like the veggie sub on white bread best, boring I know), but my dad would predictably come home with the same thing each week: A meatball sub.    

When I was younger, I never really understood the appeal of the meatball sub.  I can blame that on childhood naiveté, or just plain picky eating, but now I know that my dad was a smart man.  Meatball subs are amazing.  Since I am all grown up (or so I pretend to be), I have changed my ways and fallen head over heels in love with meatballs.  Initially I slowly warmed up to them, but last year I chased after them with lust when I tried the Meatball Sammy from MIHO Gastrotruck here in San Diego.  (Seriously, check out the post, you can see me eating the meatball sub with gusto.)      

When this Meatball Sammy was on MIHO's menu, I tried it on Thursday, I went back and ordered it again on Friday, and I ate it again the following week.  I was obsessed.  Four of my co-workers tried it as well, and they agreed - MIHO's meatball sub was the best they had ever had.  Any hand-crafted meatball sub is pretty great, but I think their sub really knocked my socks off because the meatballs themselves were so intensely flavorful and juicy.  Of course, I had to have the recipe, and I found out their secrets: lots of fresh herbs and spices, shitake mushrooms, grass-fed beef... and bacon.  BACON.  Ah...it seems at the heart of every truly indulgent dish lies a core made out of bacon.    

Zesty Greens with Black Mission Figs, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts

It's salad time again!  Today I want to share my second recipe in this series as Artisan Ambassador for the new Fresh Express artisan salad blends, and to start telling you a few things that I have really enjoyed about these lettuces. (And to hint at a recipe contest with a prize!  See below!)

For this salad, I used the Wild Rocket Zest artisanal blend, which includes arugula, spinach, and tatsoi.  Never heard of tatsoi?  Neither had I.  (Turns out my 'greens IQ' was not as high as I thought!)  Tatsoi is an Asian green varietal also known as spoon mustard or spinach mustard.  It has beautiful dark green spoon-shaped leaves that you can see in the photo above.  Because of its lovely aesthetic, this green is commonly grown as edible landscaping, otherwise known as ornamental lettuce.     

I wanted to mix this peppery blend with something a little sweet and a little savory, so I used some beautiful California Black Mission figs and paired them with shaved parmesan and pine nuts.  In the fall, I just adore figs, and I try my best not to become obsessed with them (like I did with peaches this summer), although I make no promises.  Because what's not to love?  Mission figs have a plump, and almost voluptuous shape, and a deep purple color that adds great color to salads and other dishes.  I also love them for their soft and grainy texture and subtle sweetness.  

For the dressing, I went with a simple Sherry vinaigrette with a little garlic for some extra flavor.  The sweeter sherry vinegar balanced really well with the arugula and the italian flavors of the pine nuts and parmesan.  Since there aren't a lot of dominant flavors in this salad, the thing that really took it over the top was this lettuce blend; the flavor kicks up a party in your mouth and has just the right amount of spicy arugula mixed with other greens to be interesting.     

Bacon and Blue Cheese Cake

So after talking about cooking for family in my last post, I thought I would share a recipe that I made for a recent early morning birthday party where there were lots of young families.  My good friend Ana's daughter Karolina just turned two years old (yesterday actually!) and we celebrated her birthday at the park this past Sunday.  The skies were a beautiful blue, and the weather was perfect for all the little ones to run around and play while the adults sampled a fantastic spread of brunch-type foods, including chocolate filled crescent rolls, ham and spinach quiche, blueberry scones, and this bacon and blue cheese cake.  


If you were worried, this "cake" was not the one meant for the birthday girl.  I hope it is clear that this cake is squarely planted in the realm of adult-food, and not exactly the type of fare that a two-year old wants to dig her cute, chubby little fingers into.  (And for those curious minds out there, I'll tell you that the actual birthday cake was really awesome; it was rich chocolate cake with blue frosting and a Nemo-esque underwater scene made with gummy fish, sharks, and octopus.  Little Karolina was fearless as she reached right in and grabbed the octopus by the tentacles and devoured it.  I'd like to think that if someone made me a cake like that, I would do the same.)        


This cake is definitely adult-food because it has all these ingredients here: 

  
Oh no, your eyes are not deceiving you.  This cake has eggs, flour, blue cheese, parmesan cheese, green onions, and bacon.  BACON.  I know that as you read through this little list you got pretty excited, but I probably could have just told you that it had bacon and you would have been sold.  I can say that I definitely was, because ever since reading The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz, I have been looking for an excuse to make this cake.  Lucky for me Karolina's early morning birthday party provided me with the perfect opportunity.