Sunday, February 06, 2011

American Cycling 2010 Awards Ceremony & Moroccan Meatball Recipe


On Saturday we went to the American Cycling Association 2010 Awards Ceremony. Ellie was up to receive a couple of awards. This was the first year in many years that Ethan was not on the stage, too. He has moved onto other activities.

Ellie was happy to see her friends, some of whom she does not get to see much outside of biking related events. She was awarded second place in the Junior Women 13-14 Colorado Cross Cup Best All Around Racer 2010 award.


Ellie received third place the Junior Women 13-14 Best All Around Rider 2010 (Road Season) and second in the Junior Women 13-14 Colorado Cross Cup 2010 awards.


Our team, Black Sheep Junior Cycling, also received the following Best All Around Team 2010 awards: first place for Junior Men 8-9, 13-14, Junior Women 13-14 and 15-16 and third in Junior Men 15-16. They also were awarded the following Colorado Cross Cup 2010 Best All Around Team awards for Junior Women 17-18 1st place, Junior Women 15-16 2nd and 13-14, as well as Junior Men 13-14, 3rd place.

Ethan was out with his boss, Bob, ice fishing. They had a great time, but it seems that no one on the lake caught a single fish. Perhaps it was the noise of the motorized hole digger.

Sunday's cooking demonstration at the local William-Sonoma store was "Meatball Mania." They made several recipes, but I thought the following was the best of the session:

Moroccan Style Meatballs

from: William-Sonoma Collection Series, Hors d'Oeuvre

(If doubling this recipe, use only 1 1/2 times the amount of salt, not double the amount.)

* 2 Tbs. olive oil
* 1 red onion, very finely chopped
* 1 lb. ground lamb
* 3 large garlic cloves, crushed through a press
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
leaves, finely chopped
* 1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves,
finely chopped, plus sprigs for garnish
* 2 Tbs. fine dried bread crumbs
* 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
* 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
* 1 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
* 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more,
to taste
* Lemon wedges for squeezing and garnish
* About 42 cocktail picks (optional)

Directions:
Lightly oil a shallow-rimmed baking sheet.

In a fry pan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.

Add the lamb, garlic, eggs, parsley, chopped mint, bread crumbs, cumin, cinnamon, the 1 tsp. salt and the 1/2 tsp. pepper to the bowl with the onion. Combine the ingredients thoroughly with your hands (the only way to evenly distribute the ingredients). Fry a small pinch of the mixture, taste, and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into balls about the size of a walnut, rolling them very lightly in the palms of your hands. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

Preheat a broiler. Place the meatballs about 4 inches from the heat source and broil, turning once with tongs, until brown and crispy on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Remove the baking sheet from the broiler and transfer the meatballs to a platter.

Squeeze some lemon juice over the meatballs and arrange the remaining lemon wedges and mint sprigs on the platter. Using a cocktail pick, skewer each meatball. Serve immediately. Makes about 42 warm bites.

Note: The meatballs can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours before cooking. Remove them from the refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking. If desired, cook and cool the meatballs, refrigerate them for up to 4 hours, and then reheat in a 350°F oven until heated through, 10 to 20 minutes.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Hors d'Oeuvre, by Brigit L. Binns (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

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