In honor of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie opening this weekend, I wanted to make something Hunger Games-related. Today, I present the basil-wrapped goat cheese that Prim made for Katniss on Reaping Day in the first Hunger Games book.
Ingredients
5 oz goat cheese, room temperature
4 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Salt (to taste)
Ground pepper (to taste)
Basil leaves
Crackers or bread for serving
Directions
Combine goat cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl
Scoop out small spoonfuls of goat cheese mixture and form into balls
Wrap with basil leaves
Serve with crackers or bread
The original recipe called for freshly ground black pepper, which is what I used, but I didn't like how it created little black specks in my goat cheese. I would recommend using white pepper next time.
In one episode of FRIENDS, Joey, Ross, and Chandler go on an undercover ride-along with Phoebe's cop boyfriend, Gary. While on the ride-along, Joey gets "the best sandwich in the world" made with meatballs, melted cheese, and marinara sauce, but Gary won't let Joey eat it in his car. Now you have to understand, Joey loves his meatball subs. Later in the night, the guys are startled by a car backfire, which they mistaken for a gunshot. Joey appears to dive to save Ross, which upsets Chandler. However, Joey is actually diving to save his sandwich! That must be some sandwich!
After seeing this episode, I knew I had to make my own meatball sub sandwich. Below is a super easy recipe for a meatball sub inspired by Joey's sandwich and made with frozen meatballs and canned marinara sauce. Of course, if you make homemade meatballs and marinara sauce from scratch, definitely use that instead.
Joey's Meatball Sub from FRIENDS
EASY MEATBALL SUB SANDWICH
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
16 meatballs, thawed
1 can or jar marinara sauce
Garlic butter (Homemade Garlic Butter Recipe Here)
4 French rolls
Shredded mozzarella or provolone (sliced cheese works too)
Directions
Brown meatballs in a skillet.
Add marinara sauce and simmer for 5 minutes, or until meatballs and sauce are cooked and heated through.
Spread garlic butter inside French rolls and toast in toaster oven.
Spoon in 4 meatballs per sub sandwich with a little marinara sauce.
Top with shredded or sliced mozzarella/provolone.
I don't think meatball subs normally have garlic butter, but I thought it added another dimension of flavor. Feel free to omit it, if you want.
If you'd like to see Chandler confront Joey about "saving Ross," check out the clip below. You'll also get a look at Joey's favorite sandwich and see just how much Chandler means to Joey.
