Meatballs

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As a lead-in to Sunday Sauce, we wanted to give one important component the spotlight. Mom’s meatballs, always a crowd pleaser.My sisters and I liked to sneak into the kitchen to nab a meatball and some sauce, this never went over well, often resulting in us being chased with wooden spoons. I suspect mom knew we were going to anyway, she would cook the meatballs fully, even though that’s not how it’s done, so we didn’t end up with a wad of raw meat. We didn’t exactly grow out of that, as we found ourselves “tasting for readiness” a little too often.Time and again we’re asked about the size of our meatballs. Wondering how you’re supposed to eat them with your pasta. The answer is simple, we don’t. Meatballs were always a part of the Sunday sauce, and the meal was served in courses. First your bowl of pasta, then a plate of various meats. Meatballs, stewed beef, sausage, potatoes… Sounds amazing, right? We’ll get to that.We had some big arguments over what ground meat is supposed to look like, butsorry mom, I’m right… Also, I’m writing this, so I’m even righter.It’s important to me to get my food from sustainable, local, blah blah sources. My mom prefers meat processed beyond recognition. Whatever you feel is best for you is fine, this recipe will still put a smile on your face. Lets start with a basic sauce. In a large sauce pan on medium
heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and chopped onions. Sauté onions for about 5 minutes. Add garlic cook for 1 minute. Add 2 cans of crushed tomatoes (we like to buy whole/peeled tomatoes and crush them to our desired texture), and 1 can of water. Add oregano, and about 2 tsp of salt (or to taste). Sugar isn’t something we always add, it really depends on the tomatoes. If they’re particularly acidic, we add sugar. If they’re very sweet, not so much. Try starting with 1/4 tsp. Lower heat, partially cover, and simmer. Stir occasionally.Take all of your dry ingredients (bread crumbs, pecorino, salt, pepper) and mix into a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and milk.In a 3rd, much larger bowl, add beef, pork, garlic, and parsley. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl, then add your dry and let’s get those hands dirty. Mix with your hands (Mom’s voice pops into my head “wash-eh your hands”). Don’t over mix, just enough to distribute all ingredients evenly.In a frying pan, add oil (canola, vegetable, whatever frying oil you like) to coat the bottom of the pan (about 1/4 cup). Add meatballs in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan (we cook about 4 at a time). Brown all sides of the meatballs, do not fully cook (they’ll finish cooking in the sauce). Set aside. After you’ve browned all of them, add to sauce.If the sauce is too thick at this point, add a bit more water. Simmer meatballs in sauce for 30-40 minutes, and they’re ready to serve.

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