Big A’s Meatballs
From Alan's imagination
Dry Ingredients
3-4 slices of fresh bread (white with maybe 1 rye slice)
2-3 lb. Ground Beef
1 lb. Ground Pork/Italian Sausage (mild)
Wet Ingredients
3/4 cup Milk
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Eggs
Spices
1-2 tsp. Salt (to taste)
1-2 tsp. ground Pepper (to taste)
2 tbsp. Onion powder
1 tbsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. t Basil
2 tsp. Parsley
1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1 cup fresh grated Parmigianino Reggiano
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put aluminum foil in baking sheets the has sides. Turn up then edge of aluminum foil to help with cleanup.
Spray the foil with non-stick spray. I spray on the dishwasher door so I don't have to cleanup the overspray.
Cut bread slices into as thin of slices as possible, lay out on baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes while starting meatballs.
Put the milk, Worcester sauce, eggs and all the spices in small bowl and stir together.
Put meat, onion and 3/4 of the bread ingredients in a huge bowl and hand mix.
Add 3/4 of the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly, but not too intensively.
Add reserved wet ingredients if mixture is too dry.
Add reserved bread if mixture is too wet.
There should be no liquid in the bowl.
Shape into 1"-1.5" balls
Spread evenly on the foiled baking sheet
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Take out and turn over. Continue baking for 10-15 minutes
Alan Notes
Skillet fried is quicker, but messier.
Save the tomato cans for fat in trays.
Put baked meatballs on sheet layered between paper towels to lower fat content.
After removing meatballs put paper town on aluminum, fold all to center and put inside tomato cans. Unless you're from the country and love extra fat.
As my grandmother always said, "all good foods start with lard or butter".
America's Test Kitchen - Spaghetti with Drop Meatballs
Meatball ingredients and instructions -
22 Saltine crackers crushed to 1/8 inch pieces (broken with rolling pin in ziploc bag). About 1 cup into a bowl.
Add 1 cup of whole milk to cracker bowl and let sit for 5 minutes, then mash into a paste.
Add 2 pounds of 85% ground beef.
Add 2 oz of grated parmesan cheese.
Add 1 tsp of dried oregano.
Add 1 tsp of garlic powder.
Add 1 tsp of salt.
Add 1/2 tsp of black pepper.
Lightly work the mixture until combined.
Scoop scan 1/4 cup of mixture, then roll into balls onto sheet pan.
To make ahead, cover with plastic wrap and put into refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Tomato Sauce ingredients and instructions -
10 cloves of pealed garlic, smashed.
In large oven safe pot, put 1/4 cup extra virgin Olive Oil and garlic. Turn heat to low, turning garlic every 2 minutes for a total of 10 minutes.
Add 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes to pot and cook for 30 seconds, stirring occasionally.
Add (2) 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes.
Add 1 tsp of salt and stir to combine.
Carefully place the meatballs in the pot, bring up to a simmer. Cover pot and place in oven preheated to 400 degrees.
Cook covered for 40 minutes.
Take pot out of oven, leave uncovered to cool while you make the pasta.
Once the pasta is done,
drain, return pasta to pot, then stir in a couple of spoonful's of the sauce into the pasta.
Add 3 tablespoons of chopped basil to the sauce, the gently stir.