Starting with the basics: Episode 4
Italian Meatballs
There is nothing more satisfying than a good meatball. You can make meatball sandwiches, put them on spaghetti noodles, or you can even make them healthier and put them on zoodles.
Has anyone else had a hard time getting out of bed with this dreary weather? I’m normally a morning person, but lately I have been struggling to get up. I feel like every time the season changes so does my mood.
So I live in Ohio and this Ohio weather is definitely not great, at times, for my mental state. I love Ohio, but I still hate waking up to grey weather, especially after it was 70+ degrees the day before. If you live in Ohio (or the Midwest in general) you know what I’m talking about.
And then throw 2020 in the mix? Ahh I can’t take much more!
I had a birthday party for my son. Don’t worry, it was just family! We were all safe and made sure the celebration was just for our immediate family, where we followed all proper COVID 19 precautions. One tradition that COVID didn’t ruin was that my son always chooses a meal he wants me to make as his birthday dinner. Of course, when I asked him what he wanted to eat, his immediate response was Italian food.
My son could eat spaghetti every day - literally EVERY day.
So of course, we had spaghetti and meatballs. It’s amazing how food can literally boost your mood. It felt good to have family over and to cook them a delicious meal. Fall is here and I have a whole section, which will be growing, with fall food, but in the mean time…let’s make meatballs! As the beauty of Fall fade into the dreariness of Winter, making meatballs will 100% boost your mood.
This kiddo also boosts my mood and I still can’t believe he’s 14!
This picture was taken just a few weeks ago! How is it snowing here now?!
but…..
Lets Get Started Cooking…
Edit: To make gluten free use Gluten Free Breadcrumbs
Italian Meatballs
Ingredients:
1/2 Pound ground veal *
1/2 Pound ground pork
1/2 Pound ground beef
1-1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs ( try my homemade bread crumbs)
2 Tablespoons of flat leave parsley
1/2 Cup of FRESHLY grated parmesan cheese
2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 Large egg beaten
Vegetable oil for frying - amount will vary, but you will need 1/2” of oil in the bottom of your frying pan
For Tomato Sauce:
1 Tablespoon of good olive oil
I Cup chopped onion
1-1/2 Teaspoon of minced garlic
1/2 Cup of dry red wine **
1 - 28 Ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 Tablespoon of chopped flat leaf parsley
1-1/2 Teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 Teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Directions:
1. Start by placing all three ground meats in a large bowl.
2. Add the bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and beaten egg.
Now it’s time to get your hands dirty! I’ve tried this numerous ways, and the only way to get a great meatball is to you use hands. So take your rings off and start mixing. This part seems simple, but you have to be careful because you want all of the ingredients to be incorporated, but you DO NOT want to over mix.
3. Lightly mix the ingredients together with your fingers.
4. Next you will form equal size balls out of the mixture. I use my kitchen scale to make 2 ounce balls, but if you don’t have a kitchen scale you can do your best to make sure the meatballs are close to the same size.
5. Next heat up the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan. You are going to want about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in your pan.
6. Once the oil is hot, add your meatballs in batches. You’re looking for a nice browning on every side, which should take about 10 minutes per batch.
7. Drain these meatballs on a paper towel lined baking sheet and discard the oil, but do not clean the pan. We are going to make some sauce for these meatballs to finish cooking in!
8. Heat the olive oil in the same pan, add the onion, and sauté over medium heat until translucent; this should take about 5-10 minutes.
9. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute to get the aroma out. Getting the aromatics out of the garlic will make your kitchen smell amazing and leave everyone wondering what deliciousness you’re cooking up!
10. Next add the red wine and scrape up any brown bits you have in the bottom of your sauté pan. You’re going to cook this till almost all of the wine has evaporated, which should take about 3-5 minutes.
11. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
12. Return the browned meatballs to the sauce.
13. Cover the meatballs and sauce with a lid and let these beauties simmers on low for about 25-30 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.
14. Serve on cooked spaghetti or zoodles, or you can also make a delicious meatball sandwich on a toasted roll, topped with cheese. You can even eat these on a plate without anything else. I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Go Eat! You just made a good meatball, now go and enjoy it with your family!
* If you don’t want to use veal, I would suggest 1lb ground beef and 1/2 pound ground pork. The veal makes the meatballs rich and tender, but they will still be good with just pork and beef!
** If you don’t want to use wine you can use chicken or beef stock to deglaze the pan. I recommend using mini wines! Most grocery stores carry COPA wine, which is a single serving of wine in a cup.
