Pick-Up-That-Cookbook Cooking {Super Sub Balls}

Summer is my most challenging time for cooking everyday meals. I'm not sure why. I should be inspired by the fresh bounty of fruits and vegetables that are available during this season. Maybe it's the weather. (Summer is not my favorite.) Or maybe it's because I'm in summer vacation mode and that carries over into the kitchen. But whatever the reason, I have to try a little harder to be enthused about cooking in the summer. 

I have a bit of a plan to get me over the hump this summer. 

I don't know about you, but I have a whole array of cookbooks in my kitchen, filled with new ideas , recipes, and cooking inspiration. Some are old friends that contain some of my tried-and-true recipes. Some are just sitting there looking pretty. So I thought, why not be more purposeful and take advantage of all of that inspiration? And that is what I am going to do! 

Here's my plan:

Each week of this summer, I am going to choose a cookbook that is already in my kitchen and I am going to try a recipe that I have never made before. 

This week's recipe came from a cookbook that my daughter Kristin gave me several years ago: Classic Rachael Ray: 30-Minute Meals. As I perused it looking for a recipe, I wondered why I had not used this cookbook more. It is full of uncomplicated recipes made with fresh ingredients. I also like the way Rachael Ray approaches cooking in a non-rocket-science sort of way. (Like "a handful" of parsley and "a little" olive oil.)  

Super Sub Balls was a slightly different take on meatball subs. The meatballs are baked, not fried, and the cheese is inside the meatball. 

(Funny side story: I totally befuddled the deli lady by asking for 2/3 pound of unsliced provolone cheese. She literally did not know what to do. She kept holding up increasingly thicker slices, asking if that was good. "Is that 2/3 of a pound?" I would ask, knowing that it couldn't be. She finally asked a coworker for assistance. They conferred, cut a hunk, bagged it, weighed it, and handed it to me. But it was only 1/2 a pound, so I asked for another one just like it. I ended up with extra cheese, but it seemed like the quickest way to get out of the deli and move on with my day!) 

SUPER SUB BALLS

Ingredients for meatballs:

1 and 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (a shake or two)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 medium Spanish onion, minced

a handful chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup Italian bread crumbs (a couple of good handfuls)

4 shakes Worcestershire sauce

2/3 pound provolone cheese, cut into 16 small cubes

olive oil, for baking sheet

Ingredients for marinara:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes

2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes*

15 to 20 leaves fresh basil, roughly cut or torn** 

2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves stripped from stem and chopped

a handful chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 sesame-seed sub rolls

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Combine meat, egg, red pepper flakes, garlic, onions, parsley, bread crumbs, and Worcestershire in a bowl. Pull a palmful of meat mixture into our had. Nest a piece of provolone in the middle of the meat and form a ball. Place on a nonstick cookie sheet brushed with a little olive oil. Repeat until mixture is gone, about 16 balls later. Place cookie sheet in oven and bake until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. 

  For marinara sauce, warm evoo in a deep frying pan or pot over medium heat; add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic sizzles. Add tomatoes and herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer over low heat until ready to serve. 

Drop the stuffed sub balls into sauce. Scoop up sauced sub balls and place in rolls. 

Serve with Pigskin Potatoes and a simple salad.***  

*    I only had petite diced tomatoes, so my sauce was a little chunkier.

** My basil is still young; 15 leaves would have stripped it bare! I substituted about a tablespoon of dried basil.

*** I served raw veggies and dip instead for a lower carb alternative. Another way to reduce the carbs would be to serve the meatballs and sauce over spaghetti squash instead of on a sub roll. 

This recipe was deemed a success by my family! The meatballs were flavorful and delicious . . . and decidedly less greasy than the typical fried meatballs. The cheese inside was a fun twist. 

What about you? Do you use all of your cookbooks? Is inspiration hiding there in your cookbook collection? Do you have a specific season in which you're lacking kitchen inspiration?