Foodie Friday - Chic Pea Meatballs

I want to start this post by saying that I am a meatball fanatic - I Love em, absolutely love em.

Seems like so many cultures have some form of meatball.
From lamb to a mix of pork, beef and veal, meatballs are all over the culinary map.
If you are a traditionalist, you may want to stop reading right now.
Growing up on a cattle ranch, vegetarian food was not in very high demand at our house.
Now that probably 1/4 of our customers are vegetarians, I am always looking for a great
recipe that meets 3 requirements -

1. Tastes Fantastic
2. Is not a sell out - having vegetarian options and catering to vegetarians are two totally different things. 
3. Requires no processed ingredients

When I tried these meatballs, I knew we had a winner. 

Our good friend, The Saratoga Food Fanatic, was kind enough to share this recipe.
Drum Roll..... Chic Pea Meatballs

Here is the recipe -

For the Chickpea Meatballs

• Cooking Spray
• 1-15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4-5 leafs of fresh basil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

For the Sandwiches

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 hoagie rolls
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°. Prepare your baking sheet by spraying with cooking spray and setting aside.
2. In a food processor or kitchen aid mixer, combine all chickpea meatball ingredients. Pulse or mix until the chickpeas are mashed and the mixture has enough texture to be formed into balls.
3. Divide your mixture into 10-12 meatballs. After placing the chickpea meatballs on your prepared baking sheet, spray the tops of the meatballs with cooking spray. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs have a crunchy and golden-brown color.
4. Meanwhile, heat marinara sauce in a saucepan. This can be homemade or store bought. Cook until sauce is just warmed through—between 3-5 minutes, then remove from heat.
5. When chickpea meatballs are complete, remove from oven and turn on the broiler. Gently place the chickpea meatballs into the already heated marinara sauce.
6. Slice a slit into each hoagie roll and place on a baking sheet. Spoon three-four chickpea meatballs into each roll.
7. Top each sandwich with an even amount of mozzarella cheese. Broil in over for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted, browned and looking like they’re ready to eat

 
We made the meatballs and I have to say that the texture is fantastic. We also added 2 cloves of chopped garlic to go with the Italian Flavor Profile. While we were in the test kitchen, we also made a few with a Mediterranean feel. We added some chopped kalamata olives, feta and substituted basil with cilantro. One word - Amazeballs.
This is the perfect addition to any party menu - The vegetarians will love you as will your heart for cutting out tons of saturated fats. 

Here is a link to Ashley's Blog - http://saratogafoodfanatic.com/
This is one of those blogs we highly recommend signing up to follow. Great reviews on places to eat in Saratoga and also some fantastic recipes. 

Each Friday we will post a recipe - Some will be ours and some will be from local food bloggers and chefs. We will make the recipe, give some feedback and then let the readers rate it.
The rating system will be just like school,  A+ to D-
Next Friday I will post the readers ratings along with my rating.

Have a Great Weekend -

Brandon
Chef/ Owner - Wandering Dago Food Truck & Catering

A food truck by any other name - Traditional Catering vs a Food Truck

The great debate ......

One of our posts has sparked a sea of emails, some confusion and even a lynch mob sighting
(Two of those three things are fact)
Let me preface this post by having you read the culprit post -
http://wanderingdago.blogspot.com/2013/12/food-truck-weddings-3-courses-and-over.html

You know by reading that post what you should look for inside a food truck -
Basically a restaurant kitchen on wheels. So, the equipment is there to make anything from
high end street food to classic wedding fare.
Now prepare to have your mind blown....

Imagine what the high end wedding caterers take to a venue to do a wedding.
Does it seem like they would have a lot of the same equipment?
They do.

So can a food truck really just take the place of a traditional caterer ?
The answer depends on you.
To explain this we need to talk about how a wedding service works -
There are a few factors -

1. The Menu
2. The Style of Service
3. Budget

The menu and the budget go hand in hand most of time. A saying that is out there in this catering world is - "They want prime rib on a hot dog budget."
Having a food truck cater your wedding could mean a lot of things. One thing that is not necessarily true is that the catering bill will be less money.
In this day and age, food truckers are covering all the classics and a lot more regarding wedding menus.
Want prime rib? No Problem. Want a pasta station? No Problem. Want roasted salmon? No Problem.

Now to the style of service.
This is where imagination becomes a big factor. Or swap imagination for a good wedding planner.
*** I have met some great ones if you need some ideas ***
When you contact a food trucker or any caterer for that matter, having some ideas on food is a huge benefit. Once a few food ideas are thrown on the table, move straight into the style of service.

Knowing your food trucker has a full arsenal of tools, get crafty and have some fun.
Stations are always a great addition to any wedding. We have a ton of fun with our grilling station.
We can really add some personal touches and flavor profiles through marinades and toppings.
One huge trend is family style service - Huge plates of food on the table for everyone to share and enjoy. This style also makes the experience a lot of fun for the guests.
By adding a few layers to your service style, you can really create a wedding that people will remember for a long time.
Perhaps passed appetizers during the cocktail hour when the guests sit down, then a couple stations for the main course with sides brought to the table family style, ending with a truckside dessert course.
This is just one example of how a food truck can make your wedding one for the ages.
For ideas, you can check out our wedding menu and the service styles we offer -
http://www.wanderingdago.com/events.html

Imagine the truck as a style of service, not as a genre of food.

Please let me know if I can answer any of your questions. If you feel more comfortable, have your wedding planner contact me directly - info@wanderingdago.com or just leave a comment.

Thanks,

Brandon
Chef/ Owner - Wandering Dago Food Truck