Day into night at home / 01

Welcome to Day Into Night at home! 

 

This week's main course is an idea I've been wanting to make for some time. Pork meatballs seasoned with the flavors of the roasted pork I grew up eating in Puerto Rico. The meatballs rest on a bed of pureed yellow split peas, because sometimes eating pulses where you would maybe eat a mash is great.

 

The puree is my attempt at bringing back with me to Brooklyn a little something of a night spent eating on the patio of a restaurant called Ama Lachei in Athens. In Greece this dish of pureed yellow split peas is served with caramelized onions, raisins, and capers. Puerto Rican food sometimes has raisins and capers too, so it feels like a good pairing. Instead of topping the puree with caramelized onions I moved them inside the meatballs, an idea I got from my friend Tessa that brings extra flavor and moisture to them.

 

For this menu start with the flan, so it has time to set in the fridge. While the flan is in the oven make the caramelized onions. Those are the two most time consuming parts. 

 

When I make caramelized onions I always make a large batch. I prompt you to do the same in this recipe. You could even make them a day or two before as a mini kitchen project. They are good on so many things. You'll always want to have them on hand. 

 

Next, you'll want to make the split peas. While they cook put the rest of the meal together. 

 

A final note, I put the salad as the first course on the menu, but with this particular meal it might be lovely to have the meatballs first and the salad after.

 

Buen provecho, Ana xx