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RPM Italian, a restaurant in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, joined Cooking Up A Storm to make prime beef meatballs with Tracy Butler
Full story and recipe: https://abc7chicago.com/rpm-italian-chicago-river-north-meatball-recipe/14359726/
COOKING UP A STORM TODAY WITH A CELEBRITY BACKED RESTAURANT TO BECOME A MAINSTAY IN CHICAGO. RPM OPENED RIVER NORTH IN 2012. BILL AND GIULIANA RANCIC, THEY HELPED MAKE THE MENU AT THE LETTUCE ENTERTAIN YOU SPOT. AND TODAY. OH MY GOSH, IT SMELLS SO GOOD HERE. PRIME BEEF MEATBALLS
THAT ARE ON THEIR MENU. AND CHEF CHRISTOPHER GAWRONSKI FROM RPM. THANKS FOR BEING WITH ME TODAY. APPRECIATE IT. OH MY GOSH NOTHING STORMY ABOUT THIS. IT JUST LOOKS FANTASTIC. >> NO WHATSOEVER. IN FACT JUST SPEAKING OF THAT, THESE MEATBALLS HAVE BEEN ON SINCE DAY ONE. NEVER CHANGED THE RECIPE
AND THEY ARE A TOP SELLER. >> IS THAT RIGHT? SO ARE THE ARE THEY ON THE RESTAURANT WEEK MENU? YOU HAVE SOME SPECIAL STUFF FOR THAT. >> WE HAVE SOME SPECIAL STUFF WHERE WE ALWAYS WANT TO GIVE THE GUESTS, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE BRAVING THE OUTDOORS, COMING IN, SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVEN’T HAD
BEFORE AND SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY TRULY APPRECIATE WHEN THEY COME IN. PEOPLE THAT COME IN TIME AND TIME AGAIN TO HAVE OUR MEATBALLS. RIGHT. >> WELL, MY MOTHER MAKES FANTASTIC MEATBALLS. I’VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO READ KATE, SO I REALLY WANT TO LEARN YOURS. >> ALL RIGHT, WELL, IT’S TEACH ME.
>> IT’S SIMPLE. >> ALL RIGHT. OKAY. >> SO HE SAYS IT IS. >> I TRUST ME, IT’S VERY SIMPLE. SO START WITH EGGS AND OUR GROUND BEEF VERY, VERY SIMPLY. JUST TAKE BASICALLY FOR ABOUT 2 POUNDS OF GROUND BEEF YOU’RE GOING TO TAKE FOUR EGGS. I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW YOU CRACK AN EGG
WITH ONE HAND. >> THAT’S ALL YOU CHEFS. YOU ALL DO IT THAT WAY. I COULD NEVER THAT’S HOW I GOT MY WIFE TO FALL IN LOVE WITH ME. >> ARE YOU SERIOUS? >> THAT’S VERY ATTRACTIVE. >> I WOULD AGREE, I LOVE THAT I TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF ROASTED GARLIC.
>> OKAY, OKAY. SO WHAT YOU DO IS YOU’LL JUST ROAST THE GARLIC WHOLE, A LITTLE BIT OF ALUMINUM FOIL OVER TOP OF THE LITTLE OLIVE OIL THREE 50IN THE OVEN, HALF AN HOUR. IT CHANGES YOUR LIFE. YOU PUT IT IN EVERYTHING. >> OH MY GOSH. MAYBE I’LL GET MY
HUSBAND TO FALL IN LOVE WITH ME ALL OVER AGAIN. OKAY ANYWAY. ALL RIGHT, GET. A LITTLE BIT OF A WHISK IN THERE JUST TO BREAK UP THE EGGS. >> A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE YOU JUST DON’T WANT THE EGG WHITES TO BE SEPARATE FROM THE YOLKS. YOU WANT IT NICE AND CREAMY, OKAY.
THAT FAT TO KIND OF FALL THROUGH. THEN YOU TAKE YOUR MEAT, YOU PUT IT IN THERE VERY GENTLY. >> OKAY. IS THERE A CERTAIN MEAT THAT YOU WANT TO USE. >> SO WE USE AGAIN PRIME RIGHT. PRIME AND PRIME BEEF. YEP SO WE PRIME BEEF MEATBALLS WE USE
AGAIN. YOU CAN JUST USE STANDARD GROUND AT YOUR HOME 80 OVER 20. YOU’LL GET FROM THE STORE THAT’S WHAT OKAY OKAY OKAY. AND UH SO YOU DO WANT SOME FAT. YOU WANT SOME FAT OKAY. RIGHT. SO YOU’RE GOING TO MIX THIS THROUGH. YOU’RE GONNA MIX THAT, UH, AT
HOME. YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE THIS. I HAD AN OLD GERMAN CHEF. HE MAKES. YOU MADE EVERYTHING BY HAND. I’M GOING TO DO THAT TODAY. BUT USE YOUR KITCHENAID. YOU CAN USE A WHISK. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT. THE REASON WHY HE SAID USE YOUR HANDS IS BECAUSE YOU CAN ACTUALLY FEEL IT
ALL COME TOGETHER. BECAUSE THE BIGGEST THING IN MEATBALLS ISN’T SO MUCH THE INGREDIENTS YOU PUT INTO IT. OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, YOU PUT INGREDIENTS, YOU PUT YOUR LOVE INTO IT. YEAH I’M WAITING FOR THE BIG TAKEAWAY HERE. >> THE TAKEAWAY IS YOU DON’T WANT TO OVER MIX THEM AND IF YOU
OVER MIX THEM IN YOUR MACHINE, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A MEATBALL. >> YOU’RE GOING TO BOUNCE AGAINST THE WALL AND JUST GOING TO BOUNCE RIGHT BACK AT YOU. WELL, IT’S A GOOD THING I DON’T EVEN HAVE A KITCHENAID. >> THEN. SO HERE WE GO A LITTLE BIT OF ONIONS, SOME PARSLEY, SOME PECORINO.
>> AGAIN YOU WANT THAT WONDERFUL FLAVOR. SOME BREADCRUMBS TO BIND IT OKAY. SO THAT’S GOING TO BE ALL THAT MEAT ALL THAT UH ALL THAT THE CHEESE, THE MEAT, THE SALT, THE PEPPER, EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. >> SO HOW LONG WOULD WE BAKE THESE FOR. SO WE FORM THEM,
WHICH IS A REALLY GOOD PROJECT FOR KIDS. THIS IS A WONDERFUL PROJECT. >> SO YOU’RE GOING TO ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES. YOU’RE GOING TO GET DIRTY. IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN IF YOU DON’T WANT TO COME TO RPM I’LL BE THERE AND YOU MAKE YOUR OWN PASTA IN HOUSE DAILY. >> THEY’RE SINGLE DAY.
>> WE RUN THROUGH ABOUT 200 POUNDS A DAY. >> IS THAT RIGHT? >> RIGHT. YEAH, 200 POUNDS. >> OH MY GOSH, WHAT TIME DO YOU START COOKING THAT? >> 630 IN THE MORNING. >> GET OUT. OH MY GOD. >> EVERY DAY. EVERY DAY. SO AS YOU CAN TELL THIS IS A VERY
DIRTY PROJECT. SOMETHING THAT YOU’RE GOING TO DO AT HOME. WE USE A LARGE KITCHENAID AT WORK OF COURSE, BECAUSE, WELL, WE STILL SO. WELL. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. WE GET IT TILL IT’S JUST BOUND TOGETHER. OKAY. SO WE JUST GET EVERYTHING IN THERE AND THEN ALL YOU DO IS FORM IT, ALL YOU DO.
>> AND THEN SO YOU BAKED IT. YOU SAID YOU BAKE IT FOR HOW LONG YOU FORM IT, YOU BAKE IT, BAKE IT FOR 350 DEGREES, 20 MINUTES, 20 MINUTES. >> AND THEN WHAT WE’LL DO IS WE’RE TAKING OUR POMODORO. OKAY. SO POMODORO IS OUR STANDARD TOMATO SAUCE. IT’S OUR MOTHER
SAUCE. WE USE IT FOR EVERYTHING. AND THEN WE BAKE THAT IN. SO WE BAKE IT FIRST GET IT NICE AND CARAMELIZED. AND THEN WE PUT IN THE POMODORO SAUCE. AND THEN THAT POMODORO SAUCE WE PUT IN THERE. AND WE BRAISE IT FOR ABOUT, OH GOSH, HALF AN HOUR. OKAY. AGAIN 350 DEGREES. RIGHT
AND AFTER YOU BRAISE IT FOR HALF AN HOUR, YOU TAKE IT OUT OF THE OVEN. IT’S BEAUTIFUL. IT’S WARM, IT’S STEAMY. >> WELL, THESE ARE THE FINAL PRODUCT, RIGHT HERE. RIGHT. DO BILL AND GIULIANA EVER COME IN? >> BILL AND GIULIANA COME QUITE A BIT. IS THAT RIGHT? AND THEN
THEY ORDER THIS EVERY SINGLE TIME. >> WELL, WHY WOULDN’T THEY? I MEAN, LOOK AT THIS. OH MY GOSH. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. WE’RE OUT OF TIME BUT I’M GOING TO EAT AND I’M GOING TO ORDER THE MEATBALLS WHEN I COME. UM CHEF CHRISTOPHER THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR BEING WITH ME TODAY. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. COME BACK ANYTIME. I’M PRETTY GOOD. HAPPY HOUR, TOO. IN THE BAR. OH, YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THAT’S QUITE EPIC. HEY, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE THAT