Recipe Archives->Meatballs Loaf->Meatballs 18

Meatballs
Servings: 6
                                                                                
10 ounces boneless pork shoulder, about 1 1/3 cups ground
10 ounces beef chuck, about 1 1/3 cups ground
6 ounces day-old country bread
2 ounces pork fat, finely chopped
2 ounces prosciutto (4 to 5 slices), chilled in freezer 15 min, finely chopped
1 cup loosely packed, fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried chile flakes
2/3 cup fresh ricotta, drained if necessary (if in whey, drain overnight)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup whole milk
1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes with juice
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Block of grana for grating
Best-quality olive oil for finishing

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with olive
oil.  In a large bowl, combine the pork, beef, bread, pork fat,
prosciutto, parsley, 2 teaspoons salt, oregano, fennel seeds and
chile flakes and mix with your hands just until the ingredients are
evenly distributed. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs and milk just
enough to break up any large curds of ricotta. Add the ricotta
mixture to the ground meat mixture and mix lightly with your hands
just until incorporated. The mixture should feel wet and tacky.
Pinch off a small piece, flatten it into a disk, and cook it in a
small saute pan. Taste and adjust the mixture's seasoning with salt,
if needed. Form the mixture into 1 1/2 -inch balls, each weighing
about 2 ounces, and place on the prepared baking sheets. You should
have about 30 meatballs.

Bake, rotating the sheets once from front to back, for 20 to 25
minutes, or until the meatballs are lightly browned. Remove from
the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees. Sprinkle the
tomatoes with the remaining salt, and then pass the tomatoes and
their juices through a food mill fitted with the medium plate.
Alternatively, put the entire can of tomatoes and salt in a large
bowl, don an apron and squeeze the tomatoes into small pieces with
your hands. Pack the meatballs into 1 large roasting pan or 2 smaller
roasting pans. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs, cover
tightly with aluminum foil, and braise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or
until the meatballs are tender and have absorbed some of the tomato
sauce.

Remove the pans from the oven and uncover. Distribute the basil
leaves throughout the sauce. For each serving, ladle the meatballs
with some of the sauce into a warmed bowl. Grate the grana over the
top, drizzle with olive oil to finish and serve immediately.

Notes: Grana is an Italian cow's milk cheese similar to
Parmigiano-Reggiano; it's available at many cheese shops, Trader
Joe's and Whole Foods markets.  You can substitute Parmigiano.

Printable version: meatballs18.txt.