Homemade Meatballs

Ingredients:

½ cup (54 g) fresh breadcrumbs, from 1-2 slices white bread (crust removed)

¼ cup (60 ml) milk

2 egg yolks

½ cup (50 g) grated pecorino Romano cheese

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated

1 tablespoon (15 g) Diamond kosher salt, OR 2 teaspoons Morton’s kosher salt, OR 1 ½ teaspoons table salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound (450 g) ground beef chuck

1 pound (450 g) ground pork, or veal

¼ cup grated onion, optional

⅓ cup (30 g) chopped parsley, or basil

Olive oil

Instructions:

Step 1:

Put the breadcrumbs in a small bowl and pour the milk over.

Let them soak for 5 minutes.

Add the egg yolks, cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper to the bowl and mash together to form a coarse paste.

Step 2:

Put the beef, pork and onion (if using) in a large bowl and mix with a fork to blend.

Add the bread mixture and parsley.

Blend everything together well, using your hands, large wooden spoon or large fork.

You can also mix in a standing mixer on low speed, just until blended.

The meatball mixture can be mixed and refrigerated 2 days ahead of shaping and cooking.

Form the meatballs:

Use a ¼-cup measuring cup or cookie scoop to portion the mixture and roll lightly into balls.

They don’t have to be perfect — craggy meatballs have character and hold the sauce better!

To cook on the stovetop:

Pour enough oil into a large skillet to coat the bottom and place over medium-high heat.

When the pan is hot, add as many meatballs as will fit in the pan without crowding.

Note: They should sizzle as soon as they hit they pan or the pan isn’t hot enough.

Brown the meatballs on all sides.

Cover the pan, lower the heat and continue cooking and until the meatballs are firm and cooked through (165 degrees on a instant thermometer), which should take about 15 minutes total.

Repeat the frying with remaining meatballs, pouring out the oil and adding a fresh layer.

To finish cooking in tomato sauce:

After browning the meatballs, transfer them from the skillet to a simmering pot of marinara sauce. Cook 10-12 minutes.

To bake the meatballs:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Arrange the meatballs on an olive-oiled coated rimmed baking sheet.

Bake 10 minutes, then turn the meatballs over with a spatula or pair of tongs.

Continue baking until nicely browned and cooked through, another 10-12 minutes.

Serve the warm meatballs with marinara sauce or your favorite prepared tomato sauce.

Notes:

To make fresh breadcrumbs, trim off the crust from one or two slices of hearty white bread. Tear or slice the bread into small pieces or pulse in a food processor to make coarse pea-size crumbs.

To use dried breadcrumbs: Adjust the amount to 1/3 cup instead of the 1/2 cup of fresh crumbs. I recommend unseasoned dried breadcrumbs. If yours are seasoned, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe by 1/2 teaspoon.

Panko: Use the full amount (1/2 cup), adding more by the tablespoon if the mixture doesn’t hold together

Gluten-free breadcrumbs: Fresh or dried will work fine, following the tips above.

Meatballs can be made ahead and frozen up to 2 months.

An electric standing mixer is handy to blend the meat and seasonings if you’d rather not do it by hand.

If you like, finish cooking the meatballs in your favorite simmering sauce in step 5.

Nutrition Information: