Chorizo Meatballs

For our 4 year anniversary, we went out for dinner and drinks. We ordered some chorizo meatballs as an appetizer. From the moment we tasted them, we looked at each other and said "We need to make these for the blog!" Just a few days later, we were in the kitchen experimenting with some of our favorite ingredients and flavors. If you are a follower of our blog, you know how much we love chorizo! These meatballs are so versatile - you can serve them on top of toasted French bread as a party hors d'oeuvre or you can serve for dinner with rice or pasta.

Ingredients for meatballs:
16 oz. of chorizo
1 lb. of ground turkey
1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
1 egg

Ingredients for sauce:
1/2 of a large onion
2 tablespoons of olive oil
5 ribs of celery
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
3 cloves of garlic
16 oz. can of diced tomatoes
16 oz. can of tomato sauce
2 cups of red wine
1/4 cup of sugar

Ingredients for garnish:
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Parsley

Kitchen Essentials:
Stove
Oven
Medium sauce pan
Mixing bowl
Baking dish
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Knife
Cutting boards
Wooden spoon

Prep:
Roughly chop the celery and onions and set aside. Next, finely mince the garlic and also set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Directions for meatballs:
Begin by removing the casing of the chorizo and place in a medium sauce pan. Using your hands, crumble the chorizo into small pieces. Place over medium heat and cook the crumbled chorizo for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

In a mixing bowl add the ground turkey, worcestershire sauce, panko bread crumbs, egg and cooled chorizo. Using you hands, mix until all the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Shape the meatballs using a tablespoon of the meatball mixture and roll with your hands. Place on a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

(Shaped and ready to be placed in the oven!)

Directions for sauce:
In the same saucepan you browned the chorizo, add the olive oil and place over medium heat. Once the olive oil is hot, add the chopped onions, celery, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.

Once the onions and celery are softened, add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Lastly add the sugar, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and red wine and stir. Allow the mixture to simmer and reduce for 30 minutes.

Directions for assembly:
After the meatballs have cooked in the oven, spoon sauce into the baking dish until the sauce is half way up the sides of the meatballs. Grate Parmigiano Reggiano cheese over the meatballs and return the baking dish to the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Once your remove from the oven, garnish with a little chopped parsley and enjoy!!!

Paris Day 3

On day 3, we did a lot of exploring at some of the most recognizable Parisian attractions. We began the day at the Louvre Museum and spent about three hours there. Our Paris book advised to enter the museum through the Carrousel du Louvre entrance located at 99 Rue de Rivoli to avoid the long lines to get in from the pyramid. If you decide to do this as we did, you will be able to exit through the pyramid and take pictures of the museum as well as Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, which Napoleon had built in 1805 and later decided it was too small and commissioned a grander one down the road. 

(Under the main pyramid entrance. Ticket booths are located here)

This museum, which was a fortress in 1190, contains some of the most important art collections in the world. It would be impossible to see it all in one day. Our recommendation is to choose the artwork you wish to see beforehand and have a plan in place with a map of the museum handy. Some of our favorite pieces of art were the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Egyptian tombs. 

 (Venus di Milo)

 (Egyptian Artifacts)

 (This is a florescent light exhibit in the original foundation of the Louvre when it was a fort)

 (Saint Mary Magdalene)

 (Oval stairs in the Louvre)

 (Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss)

 (Large sculpture room)

 (Mona Lisa)

(Winged Victory of Samothrace)

After the museum, we grabbed some lunch in a nearby bakery on Rue de Rivoli and sat down on a bench at the Jardin des Tuileries (just west of the Louvre) to people-watch and admire the spring blooms. We picked up two quiches and a huge meringue that were both delicious!

 (Thats one big meringue!)

(Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel)

 (Jardin des Tuileries)

After lunch, we continued to walk west towards the Arc du Triomphe. On the way, we saw the Place de la Concorde and took pictures by the two ornate fountains. In the middle of the two fountains is a tall obelisk.  From here you have an unobstructed view of Champs Elysees and the Arc du Triomphe.

  (Place de la Concorde)

We continued on Champs Elysees for some shopping and a coffee break. Here we visited Louis Vuitton, Ladurée ( this bakery was founded in 1862 and it was the pioneers of French macaroons) and Cartier.

We finally arrived to the Arc du Triomphe just in time to see the sun setting over Paris. To get there, you must take the underground tunnel in front of the Cartier store. It costs about 9 euros to get up to the top.  

 (View of Montmartre in the distance)

It is interesting to get a bird’s eye view on how the avenues in Paris stem from this massive arch. Although the view of the city is better from the Eiffel Tower, you get a closer look at Champs Elysees from the Arc du Triomphe.

 (Stairway to go up and down Arc du Triomphe)

(Doesn't the sky look fake! It was 10:30pm believe it or not!)

We finished the night by having a satisfying dinner at Chez Clément on Champs Elysees. While it was not the best meal we had in Paris, the food did not disappoint. To start, we had escargot in garlic and butter.  Mr. P had poultry three ways - a herb baked chicken, seared duck breast and duck confit. Mrs. P had three different cuts of beef. For dessert we had profiterols filled with ice cream and chocolate sauce! 

Overall, it was a great day in Paris! We walked a lot, ate a lot and explored a lot! Tune in to hear all about our forth day in Paris on our next blog post!