Here is how to make meatballs so good that you will become a family legend?
On Sunday morning my mom started cooking early. There was sauce to simmer and meatballs to prepare and cook. The family was coming over to visit my grandparents and it was Gracie’s self appointed job to feed everyone.
It was right around 8AM when I gave up any thought of trying to sleep in. Between the constant movement of my mom in the kitchen and the oh so awesome aroma of Sunday Sauce cooking on the stove, I knew it was a lost cause. No sooner had my feet hit the floor when I was ordered to stir a pot, clean some dishes or run across the street to my aunt’s to pick up bread, cheese and the Sunday Chianti. “Go fast” she would advise, “you can’t be late for nine o’clock mass.”
This was a ritual I looked forward to. The bread came form Brooklyn and I really loved it. By the time I got home an end would be missing on of one of the loafs. It was when I returned to the house however that I was truly rewarded. A chunk of bread dipped in the gravy, with half a meatball stuffed inside, had me running off to church a happy boy. 
Making great meatballs is hands on, here’s all you need to do to get you on your way to great meatballs.
- 1 pound ground beef and one pound ground pork
- A loaf of day old Italian bread, just the inside, not the crust
- 1 cup of milk (have some extra if needed)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Step 1:
Combine the beef and pork in a bowl large enough for you to work comfortably. If you don’t eat pork, substitute by using a 1/2 a pound of veal and a pound and a half of beef. If using veal you may need to add a little extra salt to taste.
Step 2:
In a separate bowl combine the insides of the day old bread, which you ripped apart, and 1/2 cup of milk. Make sure the entire bread is wet with the milk, add more if necessary. If using a fresh loaf of bread and it’s soft enough, you can even use the crust.
Step 3:
Add the bread, eggs, parsley and salt and pepper to you meat, roll up sleeves, and mix thoroughly. The eggs are important as they will hold your meatballs together and keep them from braking apart during cooking. Add the extra milk if the mixture is dry and you can also add breadcrumbs if you feel they are needed.
Step 4:
Cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper and begin rolling your meatballs. My mom had this down to a science, as she always grabbed the correct amount of meat and carefully rolled it into perfect round balls. Just be certain that the ball is rolled tight enough so that it will not break up. Place the meatballs on the cookie sheet.
Step 5:
Once your meatballs are ready, heat the olive oil in a skillet. I love using cast iron, but any large skilled will do. When the oil is hot enough begin adding the meatballs one at a time and cook until they are browned throughout, about 7 minutes.
Step 6:
If your making a sauce add the browned meatballs directly into the sauce. I usually wait until the final 45 minutes to an hour of a slow cooking sauce, before I add my meatballs, but you can add them at any time. I like to let my sauce simmer for nearly 2 hours, so you have time to get to church before you add the meatballs. Two things happen here, the meatballs enhance the flavor of the sauce and by cooking the meatballs this way, and they are not as greasy.
If are not putting up a sauce, than add meatballs to a pot of chicken stock. Make sure there is enough stock to completely cover the meatballs. Bring to a boil and cook in boiling stock for 30 to 45 minutes.
Step 7:
Be prepared to become a meatball legend.
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