There is nothing to replace it, Italian-style meatballs, and the perfect brown, stewed pot of hot tomato broth. Fortunately, the perfect meatballs require only a few ingredients, good control, no harsh demands on raw meat. Anyone can master it. This is how. . .
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Ground Beef
- 1 lb. sweet Italian pork sausage, removed from casing
- 1 c. seasoned dry breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/3 c. Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 c. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tsp. coarse or kosher salt
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the broiler. In a large bowl, combine the beef and sausage, mixing well. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the meat and blend in carefully. Pour the eggs over the mixture, then add the grated cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper, and mix until well combined.
2. Shape the mixture into balls—large than golf, smaller than tennis. Use your flattened palms to gently roll each meatball until it is “seamless.” Put the meatballs in a shallow metal pie tin (make sure they have room to roll around); a standard 9-inch tin will hold about 6 at a time.
3. Broil the meatballs for 12 to 15 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan gently to expose all sides of the meatballs to the broiler. (Even carnivores like me need to put aside our make-it-rare preferences; meatballs are always well-done.) Drain the cooked meatballs on paper towels. Reheat in hot tomato sauce (a.k.a “gravy” in Italian-American households) before serving.
