April 27, 2015
As I begin to write this blog entry, our house smells like an Italian kitchen…garlic, herbs and tomato sauce simmering. The sauce is loaded with meatballs and some chunks of Italian Sausage. We will feed 8 to 10 friends and neighbors simple but delicious Meatball Sandwiches for supper tonight. Nothing fancy -just good!

I grew up on the East side of Cleveland where there was a large population of Italian families. Small family owned Italian restaurants and grocery stores abounded. My family figured out which places had the best pizzas, cavatelli, salads and sandwiches (at least the best in our opinions – and we HAD opinions!). There was one Sub shop in particular that we would drive 20 minutes out of our way to get sandwiches or salads. 3S Subs was THE BEST. The food was fresh, homemade and their sub rolls divine! They were soft but chewy and absorbed messy sauce really well. The Italian grocery stores had great treasures of food – and would typically have an electric skillet behind their deli counter filled with italian sausage, onions and peppers simmering in a light tomato sauce. You would ask for a sausage sandwich – and they would fill it up with meat, vegetables and some mozzarella cheese. It would be wrapped in deli paper and hold its heat until you got home to dig in… messy bug really good.

I have those memories of great but simple food and try to recreate it for my family and friends. I made an extra large batch of meatballs today – it is what I often do. As long as you are going through the motions to make the meatballs, you might as well make a lot. Some to use, some to share and some to freeze for later!

I do not have a recipe that I follow when I make meatballs – but I was careful today to measure what I used. The six pounds of meat was an extra large batch – so I will cut that in half. It will still make enough meatballs for two meals serving at least 6! I think the key is using milk to soak your breadcrumbs and seasoning the mixture with plenty of garlic, parsley and italian dried spices. Today I did not realize until after I started that I was low on breadcrumbs. So, I substituted 1 1/2 cups of textured vegetable protein instead of some of the breadcrumbs. The protein absorbs the liquid and has a more solid texture, like ground meat. It mixes in beautifully with the beef and pork, absorbing flavors very nicely. This makes it a viable gluten free option. Adding a healthy amount of parmesan cheese to the mixture gives the meatballs a creamy but nutty flavor too.

raw meatballs ready for baking in the oven

A long time ago, I figured out it was much easier to bake meatballs on shallow roasting pans in the oven to brown them – and to render off extra fat. I place them on a large jelly roll pan that I line with foil (for easy clean up). I pour about 1 cup of water onto the pan before popping it in the oven. The meatballs will brown and cook most of the way through in 20 to 30 minutes. This method is much easier than browing them in a pan on the stove. They will tend to have a flat bottom and not be perfectly round, but its just fine. Once they come out of the oven, you can drop them into sauce for spaghetti and meatballs or meatball sandwiches. You can also put them in freezer bags or other containers for later use.

baked to a nice crusty brown color and cooling.

Mommas Meatballs

Preparation time 1 1/4 hours for mixing, shaping and baking
This recipe makes enough meatballs to feed 8 to 10 people.
Sizes vary based on preference.

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 cups breadcrumbs ( or 1 1/2 cups TVP)
2 cups milk
3 eggs
3 good size garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/4 cups parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 Tbs dried oregano
2 Tbs dried basil
1 Tbs ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375′

Loosely crumble the ground meats into a large bowl. Top with breadcrumbs or textured vegetable protein. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup mix the milk and eggs until well incorporated. Add garlic and herbs to the egg mixture. Pour this mixture over the meat and crumbs and let the liquid soak into the dry mixture. Add parmesan cheese.

Using your hands, begin to massage the crumbs and herbs into the meat. You want to have a uniform mixture of meat and texture – but try not to over mix as the meatballs will be tough if you do. If the mixture seems dry, don’t be afraid to add a little more milk – and if it’s too wet, add additional breadcrumbs. Form meatballs to your desired size. I like them about the size of a golf ball.

Place the meatballs on a foil lined jelly roll pan (one with at least a 1″ side). Leave at least 1/2″ in between each meatball to ensure that they will brown nicely. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes depending upon the size. You may want to turn the pan halfway through the baking to get them evenly browned.

Once removed from the oven, let the meatballs sit to cool for 10-15 minutes. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan, it does help to drain it off to help the meatballs cool quicker – and will eliminate some of the rendered fat from sticking to the meatballs.

Meatballs can be placed into a tomato sauce and simmered for an hour or so. They can also be placed in a freezer bag on a flat surface so they freeze evenly in one layer.

 

Notes