Meatball Madness

I’ve gone from not liking meatballs at all to loving them.  I couldn’t stand the dense dry over handled too much filler balls of meat that couldn’t be fixed no matter how much tomato sauce or cheese you put over them.  I never liked them fried until they browned/burned and avoided them the way I would spinning food processor blades.

 Well, that was until I found Nate Appleman’s recipe from his award winning San Francisco restaurant A16 and his cookbook of the same name.  He’s also been a damn cute Iron Chef challenger (for all you foodies that are hooked on that show).  I found his recipe ages ago in an old Food and Wine magazine, now his secret is out and he has transformed my feeling of little balls of meat with one ingredient…ricotta cheese.  That’s right, ricotta cheese mixed in with the pork – a lovely addition that keeps the meatballs, light and moist and full of deliciousness.

You would think I’d stop there, having found the perfect meatball recipe, right?  Well, what if you want meatballs and have 8 hungry mouths to feed in a hurry and think… “Ah, I know…meatballs.”  But then think…. “Oh, no ricotta.”  But you have other ingredients that could be just perfect?  Don’t panic.  I found my second most favorite meatball recipe that works.  It’s from this months Gourmet magazine.  The major difference is bread soaked in milk and a tablespoon of lemon zest…I liked it and the recipe produced nice moist meatballs.  The masses liked them too since there was beef in them.  

Pork Meatballs with Ricotta

Serves 6-8

2 lbs ground pork

1-tablespoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons oregano

1-teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup ricotta cheese

1-cup panko breadcrumbs

Olive oil

2 - 28 oz cans of chopped Italian tomatoes

1 can of strained Italian tomatoes 

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Mix the veal and pork together in a large bowl using a fork.  Add garlic powder, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Mix to distribute spices throughout meat. Add ricotta, eggs and panko; continue mixing until combined. Shape into 15 meatballs using a ¼ cup measure. Pour enough oil into a large ovenproof skillet to cover the bottom.  Transfer the meatballs to skillet and roast uncovered for 30 minutes, until they begin to brown.  Loosen the meatballs with a large spoon and turn.  Lower oven temperature to 300°F.  Pour crushed tomatoes over meatballs and continue cooking uncovered for 2 hours longer, the meatballs will be tender and the sauce thickened and hearty.

Recipe adapted from A16 cookbook and Chef Nate Appleman

Zesty Meatballs

Serves 6-8

1 medium onion, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1½ cups day old Italian bread, torn in ½ inch pieces

1 ½ cups milk

3 large eggs

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

 ¼ cup (scant) flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 ½ lbs of ground beef or a combination of beef and pork

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 - 28 oz cans of chopped Italian tomatoes

1 can of strained Italian tomatoes

Olive oil

Pre heat oven to 400°F.  Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook onions until softened.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant.  Transfer to a bowl and cool.  Soak bread in milk for 5 minutes.  Squeeze hard removing excess milk, then separate pieces so you don’t have one big bread blob.  Stir together onion mixture, bread, eggs, Parmesan, parsley, oregano, and lemon zest until combined.  Add meat and combine using a fork do not over work or the meatballs will be dense.  From into meatballs, should make about 20-24. 

Place meatballs in a large ovenproof skillet drizzled with a little olive oil.  Roast uncovered for 30 minutes, until they begin to brown.  Loosen the meatballs with a large spoon and turn.  Lower oven temperature to 300°F.  Pour crushed tomatoes over meatballs and continue cooking uncovered for 2 hours longer, the meatballs will be tender and the sauce thickened and hearty.

Recipe adapted from January 2009 Gourmet magazine

Mom's Note:  No need to make a separate tomato sauce, using good quality canned tomatoes roasted with the meatballs makes a tasty enough sauce!  Each of these recipes can be doubled to feed your crowd.

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