Don Angie Classic Meatballs
28
meatballs
Main
Course
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
2 ½ c
Italian bread, crust removed, torn into bite-size chunks (from 1 baguette or half of a country-style loaf)
1 c
whole milk
1 lg
yellow onion, pureed in food processor
¾ lb
ground beef
¾ lb
ground veal
⅓ c
Roasted Garlic Puree (see below)
1 c
pecorino, preferably Toscano
1 c
Parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 ½ tbsp
kosher salt
1 ½ tsp
freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ c
roughly chopped parsley
2
eggs
Roasted Garlic Puree (makes about 2 cups)
12
heads garlic, tops trimmed off
2 ½ c
neutral oil, such as vegetable
An amalgamation of both of our grandmother’s recipes, these are as classic as they get: serve with your favorite tomato sauce alongside pasta, on a sandwich, or sprinkled with Parmesan.
Directions
Roasted Garlic Puree
- Heat oven to 275°F.
- Place garlic heads cut side down in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Pour oil into the pan. The garlic should be covered about halfway up with oil. Cook for 1.5–2 hours, or until the garlic has turned golden brown in color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- When cool enough to handle, pour oil off into a bowl and set aside for future use (such as in a vinaigrette or for dipping bread into). In a separate bowl, gently squeeze each garlic head until the roasted cloves come out of their papery skins. Puree the roasted garlic in a blender until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Garlic puree keeps, refrigerated, for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Meatballs
- Heat oven to 425°F.
- In a mixing medium bowl, combine the bread and milk and soak for 15 minutes, until bread is thoroughly saturated. Squeeze the bread in a clean kitchen towel to wring out as much milk as possible, and discard liquid.
- Place the onion puree in a clean towel and wring it to remove all extra moisture. You should have about 1 cup of wrung onion.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread, onion puree, beef, veal, garlic puree, pecorino, Parmesan, salt, pepper, parsley, and eggs. Using your hands, gently mix the ingredients together until just combined—don’t overmix, or the meatballs will be tough.
- Roll the mixture into ¼-cup-size meatballs, slightly larger than a golf ball.
- Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and nonstick cooking spray. Cook until browned and firm, and a thermometer inserted reads 150°F—about 15 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through.
- Serve meatballs immediately, with one of the suggestions in the headnote above. Leftovers keep, tightly sealed in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.