OK, Susan's foodies! One of my favorite things ever is Italian food. I worked as a cook in two different Italian restaurants in college before I got a much better paying job. Since I've been back in the kitchen of late, this is the meatball recipe my wife and I have pretty much perfected.
Jill's Meaty Spicy BallsThis recipe makes approximately 36-40 meatballs. Serve with spaghetti and/or to use as pizza toppings (and chef snacks!). These are also delicious in sandwiches, and they freeze well. I have listed the specific meat mixture I like best, but you can mix and match to suit your preferences and dietary restrictions (Unless you're a vegetarian or vegan- then you're totally screwed here
I'm so glad I went back to eating meat, BTW!).
For meat mixture:
8 oz. beef sirloin
8 oz. pork loin
8 oz. veal shoulder
2 links sweet Italian sausage
Breadcrumbs made from one very soft white sandwich roll, crust removed
1/3 C. whole milk
2 large eggs
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
4 oz. parmigiano reggiano, powdered on the rasp side of a box grater
1/3 C. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
salt and fresh ground black pepper
Combine the breadcrumbs and milk in a small bowl. Add more milk if needed to cover. Let stand for at least 10 minutes.
Grind the sirloin, pork loin, and veal shoulder into a mixing bowl using the grinder attachment (fine setting) on a stand mixer. (If you do not have one of these, get one! Seriously, it is great. In a pinch, you could substitute pre-ground meat. If at all possible, have your butcher freshly grind the cuts you select and then package the ground meat very loosely.) Remove the casings on the Italian sausage, break up slightly, and add to the other meat.
Whisk the eggs and garlic until blended; add to meat mixture.
Using your hands, squeeze the excess milk out of the bread crumbs and add the crumbs to the meat mixture. Don't worry if some milk ends up in the mix. Reserve the leftover milk.
Add the parsley, salt to taste (it probably needs about a teaspoon), and a generous grinding of black pepper.
Using your hands, gently combine all ingredients. The mixture should be reasonably uniform, but do not overwork or squeeze it. This is where freshly ground meat gives you a big advantage, because you will not have to break up big chunks of densely packed ground meat.
Prepare a lightly greased cookie sheet large enough to hold all of the meatballs without touching. A quick spray of Pam should suffice for greasing.
Using a golf-ball sized ice cream/gelato scoop, spoon up enough meat mixture to make a ball roughly 1-1/4" in diameter. Lightly roll the ball between your hands to get a nice round shape and place on the cookie sheet. Dip your hands in the leftover milk every so often to prevent sticking.
You will need a large sauté pan and a pair of heat-resistant tongs. Heat 2 T. of olive oil in the pan over medium high heat until oil shimmers but is not smoking. Add meatballs in a single layer, leaving enough room in between to turn them. You may need to work in batches. Regulate heat and turn meatballs with tongs from time to time until evenly browned on the outside and cooked through. Drain on paper towels and enjoy!
I wish I could give you all my pizza crust and sauce recipes as well, but they vary so much depending on so many factors that it would take all week for me to explain the fine adjustments and tweaks. I guess this is what happens when you've literally made thousands of pizzas over the years!
