My 2 meatball recipes come from mainstream sources, but a good recipe is a good recipe.
These are deliciously moist & flavorful with the perfect texture.
Mama’s Meatballs
(recipe not verbatim)
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/2 lb each of ground beef, pork & veal.
I substitute ground chicken (not turkey) for the veal. It provides the delicateness that comes from using veal.
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs (fresh optional)
2 eggs
1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup evoo (I mix grapeseed oil with the evoo. It has a higher smoke point)
*5 cups simmering marinara sauce
-Small food processor or blender
-Parchment covered sheet pan
-Straight-sided sauté or frying pan
Purée first 4 ingredients.
In a large bowl combine puréed mixture with remaining ingredients (except oil & sauce).
Combine mixture with hands, but do not over mix (causes tough meatballs).
Cover hands w/a little oil and form balls slightly larger than a golf ball. Place on sheet pan.
Heat (med-high) 1/2 inch of oil in pan.
Brown the balls in batches, turning once. They should only be browned, not cooked all the way thru.
Simmer in sauce for about an hour.
*Since meatballs are slightly labor intensive (and the star of the dish) I just do a semi-homemade sauce. Trader Joe’s has an ‘Organic, No Salt, No Oil Marinara’. It’s perfect if you want to control salt & oil. I brown a couple tbls Tomato Paste in oil, add sauce, salt & black pepper (sugar and wine are optional).
This is Rocco Dispirito’s Mama’s recipe. Apparently, she went to his restaurant everyday and made them herself. I don’t know much of anything about his restaurant or if he still has one, but this recipe caught my eye and it is f-ing delicious.
I’ll take photos next time I make them.
