Meatballs are a great, versatile, menu option: you can stuff them inside crusty bread, pile them on a mountain of spaghetti, or simply eat them on their own without the sauce. This recipe is abridged from my book “Cooking Meat”.
Makes 15 to 20 meatballs
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 ounce prosciutto, finely diced
¼ cup finely chopped onions
2 Tbsp chopped garlic
2 Tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
4 cups Sanagan’s Tomato Sauce (any of your favourites will also work)
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, with a clean hand mix together the beef, pork, prosciutto, onions, garlic, cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and oregano until well combined, and slightly tacky (the action of mixing extracts protein from the meat which acts like a glue). Pinch off bits of the meat mixture and roll them into balls about 1 to 1½ inches in diameter. Place the meatballs on the baking tray, set it in the oven, and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes, turning once during cooking.
- Heat the sauce in a large pot over medium-low heat until it is simmering. Add the baked meatballs, cover, and simmer for 1½ hours.
- To serve, remove from the heat and enjoy.