Luke’s Diner: Is that Meatloaf?

I am all in again.

Luke Steiner with Scott Patterson an iHeartRadio podcast.

Nah, there she is, Hi, Susan, how you doing. Thanks for coming on. I'm doing great. Let's just get into it, you know. I mean, you're like you're happening.

Man.

You're like former contestant on The Golden Bachelor, and you have taken your love for Italian cooking, one of my favorite things in life, to the next level. You have your own Italian foods on QVC. You're known for your culinary flair. On The Golden Bachelor, you delighted Jerry Turner and her fellow contestants with her signature Italian dishes, including your famous homemade meatballs. Oh my god, I'm so hungry.

Oh my gosh, and I just say I was so nervous. They just threw me to the walls.

Okay, right, right, right, So how did it happen? Tell us how it? You know, the cooking cane your life. And it got to the point where QVC reached out and said, let's make a deal with this this person.

I grew up with my nana. I was on her apron strings. I just loved nanimated everything fresh. We used to make her homemade spaghetti. I don't go that far anymore. And Sunday gravy, you know, that's a big part of my life, and that's where I learned to make meat falls. My grandkids love them fried before I put them in the gravy or the sauce, if you will, So we do both.

And then I met this.

Woman in the airport and we became instant friends. And she's a big TVC host. I am not a host, so it was tough for me when I went on that day.

I didn't know what I was doing right right, But I just have a lot for food, right right right.

Some people eat to live, me, on the other hand, I live to eat.

There you go, Where are you from?

Philadelphia?

You're from You're a Philly girl. Get out, get out. You can't it tell you're a South Philly girl.

Just say coffee, coffee.

Let's go down the South Street and get a hold he you have water, We'll get some water. Yeah.

How about you. Where you from?

I'm from Philly? No, yeah, for real, Yeah, I'm born in Philly where well, I mean I was born there, but raised over the bridge over the Wall Women Bridge in southern New Jersey. Yeah, Cherry Hill, right next to Cherry Hill in Haddonfield.

Yep, I know where it is there.

Yeah. We we used to come into Philly all the time. The Flyers were always winning the Stanley Cups. We were always cut in school, coming in and you know, standing on top of cars and drinking beer at fourteen.

Thanksgiving Day parade in Philly.

Oh is that the Mummers.

Parade are January? That's January?

Sorry, yes, right, So that's exciting and that's a big parade. All right. So you're south? Are you South Philly?

My family is West Philadelphia.

Yeah, gotcha, gotcha? Wow, you're the real deal a bit Oh my god. So, I mean we grew up going to the Italian Market in South Philly every every Sunday.

I still go Oh god, I get I get stuck.

Ohls, Oh my goodness. You know, my father remarried an Italian woman named it Bellito. She was the oldest. She was the oldest of thirteen. Your parents died young, and she had to drop out of school and raise her twelve sisters and brothers. And she learned how to cook from scratch all this great Italian food. So every time I go over and visit them, you.

Know, you're getting a good meal.

Oh. It was one of the few reasons I went over is just to see her, you know, and eat that food because the mount of goat it would melt in your mouth. It was just beautiful. Anyway, now I'm hungry, Let's take a break and eat some food. What is it? So? You your nana pretty much taught you how.

To cook, and then my father was a butcher.

Okay, I mean, you can't go wrong. I love Yeah, unbelievable. I mean, you were born, you were born to do this. You were you were You're a born.

I mean I am definitely truly not a chef, and don't claim to be.

But what I made is what I've learned. And you know what I mean.

Sure, I've tried meatballs several different ways. I've tried throwing them in the sauce uncooked. I try to cook them and then throw them in the sauce. But the secret, the secret to a great meat sauce, I thought I learned it on The Godfather when when they're teaching Michael Corleone before before I think it's before he assassinates that guy in the wonderful Italian restaurant. Uh, they have this huge vat and they're putting tomato paste in there, and he says, now, you got to add the onions for

Like a brushole or a sauce. Right, you brown it in the oil with the fresh garlic. The when I start out in the tomatoes and wine in it, so it cooked simmers all day.

Right, are you using a tomato paste?

That's at the end.

So when I fry my meatballs in an iron skillet, round them so they're crispy, and then.

They could cook the rest of the way in the greatly but in that iron skillet the oil from the meatballs.

I add my tomato paste to that and stir it up with the oil.

That to the big bot.

Uh, nice tip tip. That's a nice tip. Thank you. I will because I have an iron. I have iron skillets where I am like I have I made them, get me cast iron.

And of course you make a huge pot and you freeze, you know you have it several times.

All right? Let me ask you this, how long do you cook? You put all all the sausages in, you put all the onion, you put everything you need in this huge pot. You don't put on It's okay, okay, all right? I doing mine. I doing mine. My son, my son loves my sauce. I put onion and he always says, yeah, put on You used to sauce?

Or do you use crush to meat this?

I use raos, I just use it. I don't I don't make it from scratch. I use the raos. Marinara, don't say that. Sorry, I use Susan knowles.

My gravy in a jar. They won't let me.

Oh really why not?

Yeah?

I but how long do you like, if you have that big fat, how long do you let that cook?

Once?

I bring it to a boil and then I wore a fresh basil and stuff, and then I just simmer it for at least three.

Hours, right, Okay, So it's on low a low heat for three hours and it's just kind of bubble bubbling a little bit and cooking and all everything's melting together.

So good.

Oh smelling killing me?

Right, I'm just killing me. I don't even have any leftovers. I just got endless.

So that's one of the things. Right, you are uh ingenious in how you use leftovers. Tell us about that.

I prefer a leftover rather than breakfast.

Like if I have rigatonis, forget about it for breakfast a little bit.

I don't hate them.

In the microwave, I bring the iron skill it out put the rigatonis in the iron skill and at a little tiny bit of water and turn it up high so it like steams it.

Okay, hole pizza.

Wow, man, that's hardcore.

Not everybody does that. But you know, sometimes I have yogur too, but that's so boring, So so.

Tell Maul, you got to have a little yogurt, right, it's healthy. You gotta have. You got to clean the pipes every once in a while, right, Yeah, So listen, tell us about the QVC deal and tell us what it was like going on there and where you're at now with it.

So I meet this girl, they take me under their wing.

I belong to the Q fifty, which is quintessential and fifty and it's supporting women over fifty.

Life is not.

Freaking over people. We've got so much more. And I pretty much was gifted. I went to Vegas with this big opening and they go, Susan, think of a brand.

You've been gifted like h She goes, do a hair tool or hair product. I've been doing hair for forty years. I didn't know what to do here. I gifted this.

So I went to bed the last night there and I prayed to God and I talked to the universe.

I said, not only do.

I want to know what it is I want to do, but I want the name of it when I wake up, and I promise as sure as I'm sitting here.

I woke up and said Mimi's meat Balls, and I just went with it.

However, I could have made a lot more money if I did like an outfit or a jog on suit.

Slow business up.

So I used Veo beef and pork and which I had so many meatballs coming to my house for these companies, and I'd make little tiny ones for the scutle soup.

And you know, I didn't like it. They didn't even look real.

So we were about to give up, and I had one last shot and she said, you can't tweak it.

I give them my ingredients and it was x X it.

That was the moment.

Yeah, so they the wolves and there I was. I think they priced it a little expensive.

Yeah, but that's okay. You're famous, so it's like it comes to a little premium. Plus it's your special recipe, which is straight out of Philadelphia.

Anything to frost it and roll it and go yeah.

And is this in retail? Is it all in retail? Now? Are you a lot of grocery and all that?

No? No, no, no, just PBC right now, just.

QBC right now. You haven't gone even going into retail yet.

No. I don't even know how to begin. I'm all over the place.

I'm sitting at the Golden Bachelorette and then I got to meet all the guys.

I was looking for the next one. I don't know.

I still all right. When it comes to reinventing leftovers, do you have any favorites, ways to give them new life, any tips for making them feel like a fresh meal?

Well, yeah, I've cheese anything.

I mean, there you go.

And like I said, when I use I don't use the microwave all the time. You know, I'd rather do it in an iron skillet.

With a little bit of water and.

Have it steam hot rather than right suck the life out of it in the microwave.

I'll eat it like coffee in the microwave.

But right soup.

That squirrel soup, I even love that.

For breakfast, I make a homemade beef soup with beef bones.

I start from scraps.

Oh yeah, are you still living in Philadelphia and you're getting I.

Knew that at the city. I'm in the burbs.

Now, Okay, so you're in the burbs, But do you come into the city. You get your supplies.

All the time.

The Bruno brothers. I got a sign stucker. As soon as I get on Ninth Street, they know I'll come. And then I buy at the butcher the sausage stuff.

With the broccoli, rab and trevalonets.

Oh my god, what's the largest group you've ever cooked for? And what'd you make for him?

I do it every year Thanksgiving on Christmas, like twenty five and now it's growing a little bit.

Twenty six.

They got boy friends. And here's the problem with my family. They want the same exact meal every single year. I go, let's get a whole file at or you know, a big piece of meat. Nope, mom, no, we start with the suit. We get squirrel suit. I'm tell you, wedding suit. Then we go to the Raveoli's the meat balls, the sausage, the whole bit. Then we have salad, then we have On Thanksgiving it's the turkey and all the sides, and on Christmas it's the ham and all the sides.

Right, so it's like five horse meal.

Beautiful, absolutely funny. They will do it, just beautiful. Do you have any special dishes planned for the upcoming holiday season? They're just gonna keep exactly.

You know what the hard part is, I can't find fresh ester all. I gotta go to China to find this.

I swear nobody I found one head. I'm like, are you serious? I'd need like five because when I cooked. I made huge.

Pots, and everybody comes with their containers. You have to go, right, I got leave me something.

You must have some kind of kitchen.

It's really just normal. I have a colonial normal kitchen. Yeah.

I took everything ahead of time, and I freeze my soup. I freeze my gravy like the fresh stuff, of course.

But ye right, that's probably the only way you could do it. Otherwise you couldn't entertain. I know, all right. If you could add your culinary touched any meal or scene from Gilmore Girls, which one would you choose? And what would you serve?

So?

I would not put the cayenne pepper and the lemon in the open faced turkey.

That was right right, lemon right so?

And he just brought a normal meatload. Well, meatloave, you can doctor up good, especially if you use beanies.

Meatball mixed right right right.

And I like it with onions and brown bravy, or I like it with cheese and red sauce.

You know, gotcha. Let me ask you this. If you were to come into Luke Steiner, what would you order and where would you sit?

I like to sit right at the counter, okay, And I think that mushroom risotto that I don't make risotta. It's painted the butt, but I really like it. And if you add a little truckle to that, forget about.

Oh my goodness, are you gonna are you gonna come out with a cookbook? Do you have a cookbook out?

I mean I have things down. I have my nana's original.

It was like a copy book, right, so old and so worn.

All the cookie Italian cookie recipes and mostly.

The sweets and the cakes used to make all that. I'm not so much a baker, but I'll do the cookies out.

Oh man, I got maybe something.

No, I just have when I have.

A feeling we need to collaborate on something, I gotta tell you. You know a couple of Philly kids. I mean you got the recipes?

Man?

Oh I just I just want to get the recipes, you know, like.

You've heard of eggplant farmers?

Of course?

Okay, So how do we do prepare? How do you? How's it served you?

My chicken game is not I'm not I do chicken pretty well. If it's just lemon and herb seasoning, I put it in a shallow pan. I cover it at four twenty five for about forty five minutes and they take the covering off and let it go for another thirteen to fifteen minutes, and it's nice and crispy and juicy.

That really pieces, I hope, because you're cooking a long time.

That's yes, it is a long time. But the dish is it's not a huge dish, it's not a huge pan. But it comes out really nice as far as listen. I just tried to do like a breaded h Yeah, it didn't. It didn't work out for me up here. I screwed it up pretty well.

You dip it in the egg, okay, the season bread crumbs, and you have to add the little telly cheese.

Mix it up.

To the bread crumbs to the hot oil in the iron skillet.

They can sell it, They go, did you make me any of this time?

Oh? Really? And how and how how thin do you have to have?

I have a chicken breast. I'll get eight pieces out of that, and some of them are small. I don't do the whole thing because it's easier to fry.

How do you cut them so thin?

My father was a butcher. I haven't if you have are like this, and I put my hand on top and all.

Right, I'll have to. Yeah, I got a lot to learn. I have a lot to learn, and you have a lot to teach. This was so much fun. This was so much fun a Philly girl. I can't believe it.

You're not Italian.

No, no, no, I'm Russian and Irish and Scotch and German. I'm a mutt for sure. But I grew up with Italians, So you know, I.

Have Jewish girlfriends.

They don't pluk and they're times to be in the kitchen.

Yes, yes, they know what they're doing. They know what they're doing. Susanoles, You're the best. Where can they find your So they go to QVC? How do they How do they get your stuff? How do they buy your meatballs?

Meatball mix? Susan, Here you go on GVC.

And I also did an Italian rainbow cooked cake. They're so pretty because when you cut it, it looks like the Italian flag in such beautiful. Oh it's delicious because it has that almond, oh god, and raspberry.

You're just you're a revelation. You're a revelation. It's unbelievable. It's just like we're gonna wrap this up, everybody, Susan Oles. Uh, go get Mimi's meatballs. They're probably the best meatballs on the planet Earth. You're gonna thank me. You're gonna thank Susan once you try them.

Thank you for having me.

It was a pleasure. You gotta come back. There's gotta be a part two.

You practiced your cook and I'll have you on my podcast.

Let's do it. Let's I'm gonna, I'm gonna. I'm gonna get my chicken parm game going, man. I might do that tonight.

Remember what I told you? Egg from with cheese.

Oil, what kind of cheese?

What kind of cheese like a parmesan? You know?

Okay, all right, all right, so I do the egg, I do the bread. But but do I do I do the cheese after the.

Agg put the cheese inside the bread, trumps mix it all up.

Okay, right, okay, so what do you? Okay? Good deal? All right?

Just egg, bread, trump, frying pants messy, all right? I said, not these big bath things.

No, no, no, no, no, I know I got it now. I got the technique, you know.

And for breakfast ice cold, oh, I take them out of the refrigerator.

I can't make a pile up. I'll eat them for three.

Unbelievable. Unbelievable. You're the coolest woman in the world. All the best. We'll talk soon. Okay, Happy Thanksgiving, Yes you too. Happy Thanksgiving to you and joys. All the best, Susan Dawles, Ladies and gentlemen, Mami's mate balls all right, take care, Hey, everybody, indults again. Follow us on Instagram at I Am all In podcast and email us at Gilmore at iHeartRadio dot com.