MINNEAPOLIS — A new restaurant in Uptown is taking inspiration from Northern Italy for its menu.
Pinoli, which means "pine nut" in Italian, is located in the former Amore space at Lake and Irving in Minneapolis. Their menu features Roman-style pizza and house-made pastas with heritage, locally-sourced grains.
Placemaker Hospitality Culinary Director Nicole Pederson stopped by KARE 11 Saturday to share more about the opening of Pinoli, and share two recipes that guests will also be able to enjoy at the restaurant.
Pinoli’s Lamb and Mixed Vegetable Meatballs
- 2 lb Lamb, Ground
- 4 each Egg, yolks
- 2 each Dried Mulato chili, toasted, remove stem and seeds and grind to powder
- 2 Tbsp Salt, kosher
- 4 to 6 large, Mushroom, white button, washed and sliced
- 1 large Carrot, peeled, cut into large chunks
- 2 stalks Celery, cut into large chunks
- 1 large Onion, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 Tbsp Garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp Italian Parsley, chopped
- 1 Tbsp Thyme, chopped
For the Braise
- 2 qts lamb, chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 Thyme sprigs
- 1 Lemon, whole sliced
- TT Salt, kosher
- Combine ground lamb, eggs, ground Mulato chili powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly and reserve
- Combine cut mushrooms, carrot, celery and onion. Place in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until vegetables are coarsely ground (you many need to do in batches if you have a smaller food processor.
- In a medium size saucepan add a small amount of oil and sweat vegetable mixture along with garlic for about 3 to 4 min.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool
- Combine cooled vegetable mixture with lamb mixture and mix until well combined and becoming sticky.
- Sear off a small piece and taste - adjust seasoning as needed
- Scoop 2 to 2.5 oz meatballs and round, place on a sheet tray and sear off in a 450 oven for 5 to 7 min or brown.
- For the Braising, combine all ingredients and bring liquid to a boil, turn down to a simmer then place seared meatballs in the hot braising liquid and cook for 15 min or 180 degrees internal temperature
- Remove from heat, allow to cool in braising liquid for one hour then refrigerate.
Asparagus and Endive Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
For the Salad:
- 1 Bunch Large Asparagus, stems shaved thin with a vegetable peeler
- 1 Head Endive, julienne
- 1 Bulb Fennel, shaved thin
- ¼ cup Pickled shallots or red onions
- 3 oz Ricotta Salata
For the Lemon Vinaigrette:
- 2 each Lemon, whole - zested and juiced
- 2 Tbsp Champagne Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Honey
- ½ Cup Grapeseed or Canola oil
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil
- 1 tsp kosher or sea salt
Zest and juice lemons into a mixing bowl, add champagne vinegar and honey. Whisk to combine, then season with salt. Next while whisking, slowly add oils to emulsify.
For Plating:
This salad is best done fresh just before it is served.
Asparagus, remove the woody bottoms while holding the tip use a vegetable peeler to create long thin strips.
Belgian Endive, cut a ¼ in off the bottom and separate out the outer leaves. Then cut endive in half and remove the core to further separate the leaves. Stack the leaves together and cut into thin julienne. If you need to store for a short time, cover with a damp paper towel to prevent browning.
Fennel, cut in half, remove the core and cut as thin as possible with a knife or on a mandoline. If you want a larger heartier salad, you can add arugula or red oak lettuce.
Toss Asparagus, fennel, and Belgian Endive with a hearty amount of the vinaigrette - these are very sturdy vegetables and need a lot of dressing. Season with salt and pepper, toss again and lay out on a plate or platter in a thin layer. Top with the pickled shallots and finish by grating or shaving the ricotta salata over the top.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more KARE11 Saturday:
Watch the latest coverage from KARE11 Saturday in our YouTube playlist: