Mom's Meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs is Italian American and almost undoubtedly 20th century in origin. An interesting Sicilian-style meatball I came across adds grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, pine nuts and currants to their meatballs. The recipe seems to serve the meatballs in just a sauce of crushed tomato, olive oil and salt and pepper. Once the meatballs are fried, they are cooked in the sauce for 30 minutes.

The recipe below is Mom's basic meatball recipe. Add some minced garlic to the meatball mixture to spice it up a bit. The Italians like to add Parmesan cheese to their meatballs (see Grandma Maronis Meatball recipe below) but I like more of a contrast between the meatballs and the Parmesan cheese I top my spaghetti with.

I use fresh bread crumbs as I think it makes the meatballs lighter. A common technique is to use a panade, a mixture of bread crumbs and milk used to soften them. It makes the meatballs lighter. See What Is a Panade? How Panade Is Made and When to Use It

Note: 1 pound of ground meat makes around 12 good sized meatballs (almost 2" across).

1 pound fresh ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup bread or cracker crumbs (you can add more if you like)
[milk to moisten the bread or cracker crumbs]
2 eggs, beaten
parsley, [basil, or other Italian herbs, if desired]
salt & pepper

Mix the fresh ground beef with the onions and enough bread crumbs to hold everything together. Add the eggs and mix well being careful not to compact the meat. If the mixture seems dry, add a little bit of water or milk.

Roll the mixture into balls and fry in a heavy frying pan, turning as they brown (you can also bake these in a 350° F. oven on a cookie rack that has been placed on a cookie sheet).

Once they are browned all over, drain and add them to your pot of spaghetti sauce. Simmer for 1/2 to 1 hours to blend the flavors and finish the cooking of the meatballs.

Serve over hot cooked spaghetti or capellini, passing Parmesan cheese on the side. Crusty bread or Garlic Bread and a green salad finishes the meal. To cut back on carbs, serve the meatballs without the pasta, but with a bit of crusty bread on the side to mop up the sauce.

Leftovers are great for hot Italian Meatball Sandwiches.

Grandma Maronis Meatballs 100 Year Old Recipe
Recipe courtesy Mike Maroni, Show: Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Episode: Meatballs

1 pound ground chuck
4 ounces dried bread crumbs
4 large eggs
4 ounces (1/2 cup) whole milk
6 ounces grated Romano
3 ounces grated Spanish onion
2 ounces finely diced fresh garlic
2 ounces finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 ounces finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. If mixture seems a little loose add more bread crumbs.

Roll meatballs loosely about the size of a golf ball and place on baking sheet. Place into preheated oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Enjoy!

8 to 10 servings