Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to All!
As time continues to fly, it is hard to believe that 2025 is coming to a close! In 2026, may God Bless you all and may you have peace, prosperity, and renewed purpose in the new year! I am going to be highlighting 2 recipes that are easy to make and extremely delicious! Let us get in the kitchen and start cooking!
Spinach & Feta Stuffed Meatballs w/ Garlic Butter Sauce
Ingredients:
2 Pounds 80/20 Ground Beef • 1-Pound Crumbled Feta • 2 Eggs • 1 ½ Cups of Whole Milk •
½ Cup of Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese • ¼ Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley • 1 Pound of Frozen Chopped Spinach (Defrosted and Thoroughly Drained) • 2 Cups of 4C Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
For the Sauce: 3/4 Pound Butter • 3 TBSP Fresh Chopped Garlic • 3 Cups Whole Milk • 1 TSP of Dried Oregano, Dried Basil, Dried Parsley • 3 TBSP AP Flour
Directions:
In a large bowl add your ground beef, in a separate bowl put your breadcrumb’s, eggs, milk, grated cheese parsley and mix well. You will also now add to this mixture 1 TBSP Granulated Garlic, 1 TBSP Granulated Onion, 1 TBSP Kosher Salt, 1 Tbsp Cracked Black Pepper & 1 TBSP Paprika. Mix well and add to the ground beef. You want to mix this very well, if it is a little dry you can add a little more milk. Let the mixture set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Next take a 4oz portion of the mixture and flatten out in your hand, next take a tablespoon of the spinach and place in the middle of the meat. Now you will add a few 2 teaspoons of the Feta cheese. Now you will form into a meatball completely encasing the spinach and feta inside. Coat a baking pan in olive oil to prevent sticking and start placing your meatballs in uniform rows. Place in the oven at 400 degrees for at least 45 minutes or until done. The feta should start to ooze out a little.
While the meatballs are cooking let us go ahead and make the sauce. In a saucepan melt your butter over medium heat. Add your chopped garlic and then stir in the flour. Make sure you are constantly stirring for at least 2 minutes to thoroughly cook the flour. Next add the milk and spices and continue to stir vigorously until it thickens nicely.
Once done pour over the cooked meatballs and enjoy!
Ropa Vieja
What you will need (I strongly recommend using Goya brand products when making this recipe):
- 2 TBSP Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 ½ Pounds Flank Steak, Cut Into 3”x4” Pieces
- Adobo with Pepper to Taste
- 2 LG Yellow Onions Chopped Finely
- One 6oz Jar Sofrito
- 2 Green Bell Peppers Chopped Finely
- 3 TSP Minced Garlic
- 1 – 8-ounce Tomato Sauce
- 1 Envelope of Sazon w/ Coriander and Annatto
- 1 Envelope of Powdered Beef Bouillon
- ¼ TSP Black Pepper
- 1 Cup Sliced Spanish Olives Stuffed w/ Pimientos • 1- 2oz Jar Capers
- 1TBSP Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- 2 Cups Canilla Extra Long Grain Rice
Directions:
Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Season the meat with Adobo. Add the meat to your pot and cook in batches, flipping once, until well browned. Next put the meat in a bowl. Lower the heat and add in onions and peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften. Now add your sofrito and garlic to the pot; cook about 1 minute.
At this point you want to add in 3 cups of water, the tomato sauce, the Sazon, beef bouillon and black pepper. Bring this to a boil. Once boiling add your beef back to the pot. Lower to a simmer, keep covered and stir occasionally. Let cook for about 45 minutes. Then stir in the olives and capers. Keep covered and simmer until meat shreds easily with a fork for approximately 60-90 minutes. Add more water in 1/4 cup measurements if your stew gets dry. Now take your meat
to a cutting board and shred with two forks. At the same time bring the remaining sauce to a boil. Add back in the shredded beef and your cilantro into sauce. Serve with rice and enjoy!
