Excellent Meatballs

Excellent Meatballs

Ingredients ( Yields 18 to 20 meatballs)

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion
• ¼ inch dice Salt
• 2 cloves garlic smashed and chopped
• Pinch crushed red pepper
• ½ pound ground beef
• ½ pound ground veal
• ½ pound ground pork
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• ½ cup of water
• Your favorite marina sauce

Directions

• Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat.
• Season the onions generously with salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The onions should be very soft and aromatic but have no color.
• Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Turn off heat and allow to cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the meats, eggs, Parmigiano, parsley, and bread crumbs. It works well to squish the mixture with your hands.
• Add the onion mixture and season generously with salt and squish some more.
• Add the water and do one final, really good squish. The mixture should be quite wet.
• Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini hamburger size patty and cooking it. The mixture should taste really good! If it doesn’t, it is probably missing salt. Add more. Add more anyway. (My doctor is going to be mad at me)
• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Shape the meat into the desired size. Some people like ‘em big some people like ‘em small.
• Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat.
• Brown the meatballs on all sides. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through.
• If using right away, add them to your big pot of marinara sauce. They can also be frozen for later use. YUM!!

Auguriamo un buon pranzo!