THE Dish: Chef Daniel Holzman's meatballs

(CBS News) Chef Daniel Holzman and his childhood best friend and business partner, Michael Chernow, opened their first Meatball Shop in New York in 2010. The restaurant was an instant hit, and now there are five Meatball Shops in New York City.

Special section: Food and wine

Holzman was born and raised on Manhattan's Upper East Side. He began working in a kitchen at 15 years old washing dishes at Le Bernardin in the city.

The teen was urged to go to culinary school by famed restauranteur chef Eric Ripert and attended The Culinary Institute on a full James Beard scholarship.

Holzman was named one of StarChefs' rising stars for 2013.

The chef visited "CBS This Morning: Saturday" and shared his ultimate dish, his meatballs.

Recipes from The Meatball Shop Cookbook

Spicy Pork Meatballs over Polenta with Spicy Meat Sauce

Spicy Pork Meatballs

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 lbs pork shoulder, ground

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt

4 jarred hot cherry peppers, minced

1/4 cup hot cherry pepper pickling liquid

4 slices fresh white bread, minced

3 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle the olive oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.

2. Combine the ground pork, salt, cherry peppers, pickling liquid, bread and eggs in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.

3. Roll the mixture into round, golfball-size meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches), making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.

4. Roast for 20 minutes or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165 degrees.

5. Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.

Spicy Meat Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely diced

1 lb ground pork, preferably shoulder

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons salt or to taste

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1. Two 26-ounce boxes Pomi chopped tomatoes or two 28-ounce cans whole plum tomatoes, roughly chopped with their liquid.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, ground pork, red pepper flakes and salt and cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is thoroughly cooked and the onions are soft and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes.

3. Add the tomato paste and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir constantly until the sauce begins to boil. Continue cooking for 35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so to prevent the sauce on the bottom of the pot from burning. Taste and season with additional salt, if desired.

Creamy Polenta

2 cups polenta (Ideally Bob's Red Mill, but not instant polenta)

9 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 stick butter

1. In a medium pot, combine the water and salt, bring to a rolling boil over a high heat. Whisk in the polenta and continue whisking until the water begins to boil again.

2. Lower the heat to the lowest setting and continue to cook, stirring every 5 minutes for 1 hour.

3. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining ingredients. Allow to sit ten minutes before serving.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Saba and Ricotta Salata

Butternut Squash

2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks.

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons saba (recipe follows)

1/4 pound ricotta salata cheese

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt. Arrange the squash so that none of the pieces are touching.

Roast until the squash is soft and golden brown around the edges, about 45 minutes.

Remove the squash from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle with the saba, crumble the ricotta salata over the squash, and sprinkle with the walnuts. Serve immediately.

Saba

2 pounds wine grapes, such as concord or champagne

1 fresh rosemary sprig

1. Place the grapes in a large pot and crush with a potato masher so that they release their juices. Add the rosemary and bring to a boil over medium heat (leave the seeds and stems in a pot). Cook the mixture, stirring and crushing frequently, until the grapes have completely broken down and lost their juices, about 15 minutes. Strain the contents through a fine-mesh sieve into a small pot. Make sure to squeeze all of the juice from the grapes (pressing with the back of a wooden spoon works well). Discard the seeds, stems, and rosemary.

2. Bring the juices back to a boil over medium heat and slowly reduce until a syrupy consistency is reached (the liquid will coat the back of a metal spoon lightly), about 40 minutes. It is very easy to scorch the syrup, so test it frequently by drizzling it on a plate. If it has reduced too much, add a little water to reconstitute. The syrup will thicken significantly when it is cool.

Braised Green Beans

2 pounds green beans, trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons salt or to taste

1/4 cup tomato paste

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Submerge the beans in the boiling water and cook, stirring once or twice, for 4 minutes. Drain and set the beans aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is just beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste has turned a deep, brick-red color, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the green beans and 1/4 cup water to the pot and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the beans and tomato paste have mixed completely and all of the water has evaporated, about 10 minutes. If the water evaporates too quickly, add a few extra tablespoons so that the beans have time to cook fully; they should be very tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately.

Brussels sprouts with onions, apples and maple roasted pecans

1 pound brussels sprouts, stalk removed and sliced in half

2 roasting apples like braeburn or granny smith, peeled cored and diced into 1 inch pieces

1 large yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 teaspoons of salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper to finish

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

2. Toss the brussels sprouts and onions with the olive oil and salt and spread on a large (9X13) roasting pan and place in the hot oven.

3. Roast until they begin to brown then add the apples; give a mix and replace in the oven. Roast turning every ten minutes until the onions and brussels sprouts are fully cooked and tender and the apples are beginning to melt (about 20 minutes).

4. Add the vinegar, and toss. Season once more with salt to taste and remove to a serving tray. Top with the pecans and a generous grating sprinkle of freshly ground pepper.

For the honey roasted pecans

1 cup pecan halves

2 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Toss the pecans with the honey and salt. Spread on a baking sheet and place in the hot oven. Roast tossing the nuts every five minutes until they are deep brown, well roasted and let off a strong, nutty aroma (about 20 minutes).

3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Green Salad with Persimmons and Pomegranate

Salad

2 belgian endives, cored, cut into 1-inch slices

1 head radicchio, cored, leaves cut into 3-inch pieces

1 5 oz. bag baby arugula

1 head frisee, core and dark green leaves discarded, white leaves cut into 2-inch pieces

2 fuyu persimmons, peeled, cored, halved and sliced into thin wedges

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

1 pomegranate, seeds removed and reserved, pith and skin discarded

1/4 cup pomegranate vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine the endive, radicchio, arugula, frisee, persimmons, walnuts, and 1/4 of the pomegranate seeds (reserve the rest for the vinaigrette) in a large mixing bowl.

2. Dress with the vinaigrette, making sure to lightly toss the greens but thoroughly incorporate the dressing. Finish with a generous grind of the pepper mill.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup sherry vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups olive oil

1. Combine the pomegranate seeds, vinegar, honey, mustard and salt in a blender. Process on high until the seeds have pulverized and have released all of their juices.

2. Reduce the speed to low, carefully remove the lid, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil to incorporate. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and serve

Nellie's Cream Cheese Cake

Crust

1 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

3 tbsp. sugar

4 tbsp. melted butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Combine and press into a buttered spring pan; saving some to sprinkle on the top.

Filling

3 tbsp flour

Pinch of salt

1 1/4 cups sugar

6 eggs separated

18 oz. cream cheese at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sour cream at room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla

1. Beat the egg yolks with sugar, flour, salt and cream cheese. Add sour cream and vanilla.

2. Fold in beaten egg whites with 2 tbsp. of sugar.

3. Bake for 1 hour in a 300 degree oven. Crack the oven door to slowly cool before removing.

Pimm's Cup

1 1/2 oz Pimm's Cup No. 1

1 lime wheel

1 lemon wheel

1 cucumber wheel

1 orange wheel

1/2 kiwi (2 slices)

4 mint sprigs

4 oz ginger beer

1. Pour in Pimm's No. 1, fruit and ginger beer into a glass.

2. Fill with ice, cover with small shaker and give a light shake.

3. Pour into a polished wine glass and top with ginger beer. Fill with more ice, if necessary.