Italian Meatballs

If you've been to some of the family size Italian restaurants, you've seen the monstrosities that the meatball has become.  One time we ordered meatballs and were served ones that were larger that softballs.  Technically, there were two, so that qualified as "Meatballs" (plural).  But seriously, do they really need to be that large?

The problems you have with something that big is that you need to cook it for a VERY long time.  In essence, you're making a circular meatloaf. For most of us, you don't have an extra 60 minutes to make those at home.  And when a meatball is that large, you have to cut it up just to consume it.  The ones we had started falling into crumbles when we dissected it, so our spaghetti and meatballs turned into spaghetti with meatbits.

Meatballs should maintain their consistancy when you cut them up.  A good little meatball, about the size of a  golf ball, should slice perfectly down the center.  The bread and egg inside should maintain it's cohesion.  And you can put two or three on a little kid's plate and they can play with them while they eat.

Making them at home is not scary.   Matter of fact, it's pretty darn easy.  The assembly of the meatballs will only take as long as it would to brown the meat to add to a sauce.  If you shape and form the balls, then pop them in the oven , they'll cook in the time it takes you to cook your pasta and make your quick and easy marinara sauce.

There are a few different ways to prepare them.  Baking keeps them out of the cooking area until everything else is done and they will be juicy if not overcooked.  Pan-frying will give them a nice crust.  And a long marinara soak (if you have time) will infuse the flavors into the sauce.  All are delicious, so experiment with each to find what you like best.

Italian Meatballs

Makes 20-25 meatballs

1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
1/4 pound Italian sausage
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1/4 red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
3 grinds of black pepper from a pepper grinder
Another 1/4 cup bread crumbs (depending on the cooking method)

Combine the pork, beef, sausage, egg, parsley, basil, pepper flakes, garlic, black pepper and 1/4 cup bread crumbs in a large bowl.  Stir with a spoon for a minute to combine, but then switch to your hands and mash it all together.  Now pull off a small portions of the meat and roll it between your hands to make balls just smaller than golf balls. Set them on a plate and decide upon a cooking method.

Baking:  Roll each of balls in the additional 1/4 cup bread crumbs to create a thin outer coating.  Place them on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the largest meatball reaches 155 degrees.  When you extract them from the oven, cut one open to make sure that they are cooked all the way through.

Pan frying:  Roll each of balls in the additional 1/4 cup bread crumbs to create a thin outer coating.  Place enough olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet to come 1/2 inch up the side.  Set the meatballs in the pan allow them to cook on each side for 4 minutes or just before they burn

Marinara soaking:  Place a skillet over medium high heat.  Place as many meatballs as will comfortably fit into the heated pan and sear all sides of the meatballs.  Move directly to a pan of simmering marinara sauce and allow them to cook, submerged in the sauce, for 20 minutes.

Serve them over pasta, in a hoagie roll covered in red sauce and lots of cheese, or just by themselves.

So avoid the gargantuan balls of doom and make your own meatball batch at home.