"There are three kinds of meat in the meatballs. Veal, beef, and pork. You gotta to have pork. That’s the flavor.”
Who knew that Vinnie from Goodfellas was so dead on? I made homemade meatballs for the first time yesterday. I checked out a lot of different recipes online before choosing this Barefoot Contessa recipe. I tweeked it a bit, and they were pretty damned good if I do say so myself.
Goodbroad Meatballs & Sauce
Meatball Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
Canola oil
Olive oil
Sauce Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup red wine
two 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To make meatballs:
Combine meats, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg and eggs in a bowl. Mix with wooden spoon, then with hands until well combined. Form meat into 2 inch balls.
Pour equal amounts of canola and olive oil into a large frying pan until bottom of pan is completely covered. Heat the oil and place the meatballs in the pan, browning them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning often with a spatula or fork. Don't cook more than 6 meatballs at once. Transfer the meatballs to a paper towel covered plate. Discard all but a few tablespoons of oil from the pan.
To make sauce:
Add the onion to the same frying pan and saute over medium heat, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook on highest heat, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
In a large stockpot, combine the meatballs & sauce. Cover and simmer on the lowest heat for about 45 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
