Orecchiette

Well, hello again. I know I haven't been on here in a while, and I apologize. I have been so busy with softball. I had a tournament this weekend, and I had to play two games. My team won both of them, so we have to play one more game tomorrow. Anyways, this is a recipe for Mini Chicken Meatballs and Orecchiette. This is literally one of my favorite meals of alll time. I could eat it every day and be happy with my life. The broth is so delicious. When I had my wisdom teeth removed, I was not allowed to have solid food for a good 5 days. I asked my mom to make the broth to this meal so I could drink it for my 5 days of no solids, as strange as that sounds. Anyway, I always look forward to this meal because it is salty and inviting. It really hits the spot.

Ingredients:

-1 lb of orecchiette pasta

-1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

-1 tbsp whole milk

-1 tbsp ketchup

- 3/4 cup grated Romano cheese

- 3/4 teaspoon salt

- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper

- 1 pound ground chicken

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock

- 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

- 8 ounces of mozzarella cheese, halved

- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, ketchup, Romano cheese, and the salt and pepper. Add the chicken and gently stir to combine.

Using a teaspoon measure, or a melon baller, form the chicken mixture into 3/4-inch pieces. With damp hands, roll the chicken pieces into mini meatballs.

In a large (14-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and cook without moving until brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn the meatballs over and brown the other side, about 2 minutes longer. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes are soft and meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl and add the Parmesan. Toss to lightly coat orecchiette, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Add the meatball mixture, mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup of the basil. Gently toss to combine. Garnish with the chopped basil. This is a good recipe to re-heat also. Enjoy!

(P.S., I know that in the picture there is Penne pasta. Yes, it is supposed to be orecchiette; No, we did not have any at the time. So, use orecchiette. It tastes a whole lot better!)