Dan asked if I had a meatball recipe. Just so happens Bev makes the best there are. Again, we make everything in large batches and then freeze or refrigerate them for the coming week. You can scale down the recipe accordingly.
3 lbs. ground chuck or sirloin (We buy the steaks on sale and grind them)
1 lb. ground pork (We buy boneless loin pork chops on sale and grind them)
1 large Bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 C parsley, chopped
1 C bread crumbs (We use a few days old Italian bread, 1/2" cubes and soak it in just enough milk to moisten)
2 large eggs, beaten
1 C grated Parmesan cheese
1 T Italian seasoning
Crushed black pepper to taste
Sea salt to taste, optional
Olive oil, to sauté vegetables and brown meatballs
Pasta sauce, to cover and cook meatballs
Prepare all ingredients, i.e. dice, chop, mince, soak, etc.
In a large frying pan, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Add Bell pepper, onion and garlic and sauté until softened. Remove from heat, remove the vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon and allow to partially cool. Retain the oil in the frying pan. In a large mixing bowl, blend beef and pork by hand until well mixed. Add bread cubes, eggs, parsley, cheese, Italian seasoning, cooled vegetables, black pepper and salt. Mix by hand until well incorporated. Form into balls. An ice cream scoop is handy for this. Size is your preference, but we make ours a bit larger than a golf ball. Place frying pan with oil used to sauté vegetables back on the heat and brown the meatballs on all sides. Remove browned meatballs as you go to have room for more. When all meatballs are browned, you have a choice of finishing them in sauce or the oven without sauce. If you plan to finish in sauce, place meatballs in a heavy steel or enameled cast iron pot (not Aluminum), cover with Pasta sauce and bring just bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. If finishing in the oven (without sauce), place meatballs in a baking pan, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on size of meatballs). In either case, add the oil and scrapings from the frying pan to the pot or baking dish.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. We do!
3 lbs. ground chuck or sirloin (We buy the steaks on sale and grind them)
1 lb. ground pork (We buy boneless loin pork chops on sale and grind them)
1 large Bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 C parsley, chopped
1 C bread crumbs (We use a few days old Italian bread, 1/2" cubes and soak it in just enough milk to moisten)
2 large eggs, beaten
1 C grated Parmesan cheese
1 T Italian seasoning
Crushed black pepper to taste
Sea salt to taste, optional
Olive oil, to sauté vegetables and brown meatballs
Pasta sauce, to cover and cook meatballs
Prepare all ingredients, i.e. dice, chop, mince, soak, etc.
In a large frying pan, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Add Bell pepper, onion and garlic and sauté until softened. Remove from heat, remove the vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon and allow to partially cool. Retain the oil in the frying pan. In a large mixing bowl, blend beef and pork by hand until well mixed. Add bread cubes, eggs, parsley, cheese, Italian seasoning, cooled vegetables, black pepper and salt. Mix by hand until well incorporated. Form into balls. An ice cream scoop is handy for this. Size is your preference, but we make ours a bit larger than a golf ball. Place frying pan with oil used to sauté vegetables back on the heat and brown the meatballs on all sides. Remove browned meatballs as you go to have room for more. When all meatballs are browned, you have a choice of finishing them in sauce or the oven without sauce. If you plan to finish in sauce, place meatballs in a heavy steel or enameled cast iron pot (not Aluminum), cover with Pasta sauce and bring just bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. If finishing in the oven (without sauce), place meatballs in a baking pan, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on size of meatballs). In either case, add the oil and scrapings from the frying pan to the pot or baking dish.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. We do!
