Homage to Palena Cafe: Lamb meatballs in red sauce with mozzarella

The dish prepared in this blog post is another meal made in homage to a Palena Cafe dish. When my mother came to DC, I did what all good children to and took her to a restaurant where I would like to eat regularly but am too poor to do so. Palena Cafe was a good pick for both of us: my mother wanted excellent continental American food and I wanted to visit Palena again so I could eat something beside frito misto and the roasted chicken.

When I visit a new city I am more likely to eat at ethnic restaurants that represent a prevalent immigrant group (ie Ethiopian in DC) or eat at a place that serves a current food trend (ie meatballs in NYC). My parents, however, live in a small suburb of Austin, Texas, and they rarely eat out at "nice" Continental restaurants in Georgetown, Texas or even in Austin. The reasoning is, for less money my mother can probably recreate the meal using better ingredients and they can drink better wine in the comfort of their own home. So while my parents would never go to a continental restaurant like Palena Cafe or Dino's or West End Bistro in Austin, they like to go to places like that in DC because the food is delicious and worth the money.

I loved what my mother ordered at Palena Cafe: lamb meatballs and mozzarella pearls in red sauce served over creamy polenta. Just like the frito misto I love at Palena, the lamb dish is seemingly simple in its composition but not easy to recreate. Thanks to my boyfriend and his family, I was able to use farm raised ground lamb (just like Palena) to make the meatballs, but even with that special touch, my dish was a far cry from Palena's version. My final product was similar in spirit, but needless to say I will still be spending large chunks of my paycheck eating out at restaurants above my pay grade...

Lamb and cheese balls in red sauce served over polenta:

Tomato wine sauce (recipe adapted from a friend of a friend)

olive oil for sauteing
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced and 1 whole garlic clove for flavor
1/4 tsp salt
3 tablespoons fresh oregano
1 1/2 cup red wine
1 28 ounce can canned tomatoes, undrained
salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. In a medium size pot, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot and saute the chopped onions and minced garlic until the onions are translucent. Add the chopped oregano and about a teaspoon of salt and saute for a few minutes.
2. Add 1/2 cup of the red wine and allow it to come to a boil; stir to incorporate the onions. 3.While the wine is heating, pour the canned tomatoes in the food processor and puree them until smooth. (Don't skip this step like I wanted to--chunky tomato sauce will ruin this dish.)
4. Add the pureed tomatoes, 1 cup of wine, and one whole garlic clove into the pot. Stir, turn the heat to medium-low and allow the sauce to simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. If the sauce tastes too much like wine for your taste, add a cup of water.

Lamb meatballs (make while the sauce is simmering and the flavors are melding)

olive oil for frying meatballs
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 cup corn meal
1 egg

1. Combine the ground lamb with cornmeal and egg. Mix really well with your hands or spoon.
If you have time, let the mixture set for 30 minutes or more. I find this helps the meatballs stay together while they cook.
2. Roll the lamb mixture into 1 inch diameter meatballs.
3. In a small frying pan, add enough oil to cover the bottom. Heat the oil over medium-high heat, and add the meatballs when the oil is hot.
4. Cook the meatballs until they are brown on all sides and then for a a few minutes longer so they are not very pink inside.
5. Cook all the lamb meatballs and set aside for assembly.

Cheese balls--two options
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella

1. Combine the cheeses in a bowl. Form balls slightly smaller than the lamb meatballs.
2. Set aside until assembly.
OR
1. Go to Whole Foods and buy a container of pearl mozzarella.

Polenta
I bought the ready-made kind that comes in a tube and heated in the microwave with some milk and water and whipped it until fairly smooth. It's lazy I know, but this recipe is already too long.

Assembly
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 °F.
2. In a oven-safe frying pan or dish, pour in enough sauce to have a 2-3 inch layer of sauce. Arrange the meatballs and cheeseballs in whatever artful arrangement pleases your eye.
3. Bake until the cheeseballs are soft and beginning to melt. For my ricotta-mozzarella balls this took 20 minutes.
4. Dish out polenta into bowls--about 1 cup per person.
5. Serve the sauce with meatballs and cheeseballs on top.
6. Enjoy.