by Mark Cockcroft
To say that I love food is an understatement. It also doesn’t capture the whole story, as it is not just eating and cooking that is a passion. I was fortunate to spend six years living overseas and traveling extensively with my father when I was in middle and early high school, and the experience set me on a lifelong journey chasing deliciousness. I devour culinary history and am nourished by the stories and relationships of the people and products who bring our food from farm and kitchen to our table.
I also love grocery stores — big, small, chains, independents, I’m not picky — wandering the aisles and conjuring up meals to be made with all the ingredients lining the shelves. In fact, the business of food has been the main course of my professional life for over 25 years. From working in restaurants, representing a food distributor, owning a local Portland food business, creating recipes, and a decade working for one of Portland’s original natural food stores, Nature’s Northwest, food and the food business have been among the biggest factors shaping my life.
I look forward to sharing some recipes with my Beaumont-Wilshire neighbors and helping to nourish my community.
This dish ticks all the boxes for cold-weather fare — savory, filling, warm, and comforting. Not quite a soup or stew, the dish keeps things flowing with a splash of deeply flavored broth. I love adding miso to all manner of recipes as it imparts an umami kick without necessarily turning the dish in an Asian direction. Fregola (pronounced FRE-go-la) is a fun little round Sardinian pasta that has a wonderfully toasty flavor and a pleasant chew. You can use Israeli couscous or another whole grain if you can’t find it.
Mushroom-Leek Meatballs with Squash, Fregola, and Sage
Serves 4 generously
- ½ c dried mushrooms (a mix is nice)
- 2 c boiling water
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 small leek, rinsed and minced (white and pale green part only)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb ground beef, pork, lamb, or turkey (or a mix)
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp white miso paste
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 c fregola (or other whole grain)
- 2 c diced butternut squash (3/4” pieces)
- 2 c low-sodium beef, chicken, or vegetable broth
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 bunch fresh sage
- Add mushrooms to a medium heatproof bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Keep mushrooms submerged (a small plate or utensil can be helpful) and soak for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, add 2 Tbsp oil to a large sauté pan and place over medium-low heat. Add leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are softened but not browned. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Remove from heat and add to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool. Keep the pan for use later in the recipe.
- After the mushrooms have soaked, strain them from the liquid (reserving the liquid for use later in the recipe). Squeeze most of the liquid from the mushrooms and mince. Add them to the mixing bowl with the leeks. Add the ground meat, 2 Tbsp of the mushroom liquid, panko bread crumbs, egg, miso, dried thyme, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp ground black pepper to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up.
- Preheat oven to 425 °F and also bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add squash to a baking sheet, toss with the remaining Tbsp oil, and sprinkle with salt. Roll meat mixture into golf ball-size meatballs and place among the squash on the baking sheet. Roast the squash and meatballs for 15 minutes. Meanwhile cook the fregola until just shy of done and drain (it will finish cooking in the final step).
- In the large sauté pan add the reserved mushroom liquid (be careful not to add any gritty sediment), broth, and a couple of sprigs of sage; bring to a simmer. Add the roasted squash and meatballs to the pan and simmer gently for 5 minutes. In a small sauté pan add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add a small handful of sage leaves and fry until lightly crispy.
- Add the fregola to the meatballs and squash, and simmer for a few minutes to heat through and finish cooking. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Remove sage sprigs from the broth in the large sauté pan and then portion the contents into shallow bowls. Divide the crispy sage leaves among each bowl and drizzle with the melted sage-flavored butter.
Mark Cockcroft has been a B-W resident since 2008, sharing home and life with wife Bonny Cushman and daughter Hazel. In addition to always thinking about his next meal, Mark loves to play his guitar and to spend time at Wilshire Park with the family dog, Cashew.