Meatball Recipe - UPDATED with pics for Otis

Take about a cup of bread. Not bread crumbs from a can. Soak it in milk for about 15 minutes. Add it to beef, with some diced onion, a diced garlic clove, parsley, salt, and pepper. Maybe a 1/2 cup of grated parm as well.

Brown off. Then braise in sauce.

What's the recipe name, Otis? I did a quick scan and didn't see anything earlier.

Good call on the milk - I've heard this yields good results.

GT, this recipe is very good.

"Shoot From the Hip Pasta Red Sauce

I'm wasting time before a lunch meeting, so I'll whip up a red sauce recipe. Here's something off the top of my pointy little head.

Make the meatballs I posted in the Recipe Book. They are good. You can vary the meat type, but the portions are very nice.

For the sauce:

1 12 oz can Cento tomato paste
2 28 oz cans of Cento crushed tomatoes
1 large or 2 medium yellow onions, fine diced
2 to 3 stalks celery, minced in the FP
2 carrots, minced in the FP
beef or vegetable stock, at least a quart
1 flat of anchovies, minced (just do it)
2 or 3 bay leaves
4 T good olive oil
1/2 T each dried thyme, oregano, and basil...adjust to taste as cooking
2 T of minced garlic
1/2 cup minced flat leaf parsley
1/2 T crushed red pepper, adjust to taste
1 t black pepper, adjust to taste
salt , adjusted to taste
Parm cheese rind, or cheese, a 1/4 to 1/2 cup
red wine, 1/2 to 1 cup

Method

Heat the olive oil and saute' the onion until translucent. Add the celery, carrots, and parm rind, if using. Add the herbs and bay leaves(if using dried) and the Parm cheese rind, if using). Saute a few minutes to toast the herbs. Add the tomato paste,garlic and the anchovies. Go another 5 to 10 minutes on medium, scraping the pot, to get some color on the paste.

Add the crushed tomatoes, the wine, and enough stock to make it a soupy consistency. Add cheese if not using the rind. Leave the lid ajar, cut the heat to simmer, and contiunue for an hour if using browned, ground meat(which you just added). If using meatballs, add now and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Add a bit more stock if needed, and adjust all seasonings to taste, with the addition of salt. Please taste the damn dish as it simmers...seasoning adjustments will need to be made.

Add the parsley during the last 5 to 30 minutes. This sauce formula is pretty damn good."


This post was edited on 4/21 at 10:46 pm

Private message: Mr. Otis2, You are the most powerful poster on TD. Thanks for your wisdom and insight. Yours truly , Admins. Bring back Ysebaert, the bama troll deserved the cussin' he got.

Post what you do.

Per lb of beef or turkey (or a mix of pork, beef, and veal), I add two teaspoons italian seasoning (a decent blend, not an ancient dried up can stored over the stove), an egg, a quarter cup of bread crumbs, and a half cup of finely grated pecorino. Mush it all up together and shape into golfballs. If you're using fatty ground beef, you can omit the egg, but it is necessary if you use turkey or the balls will fall apart.

I prefer to make a garlicky, oniony sauce and herby meatballs, so I omit onion and garlic in the meat mixture.

Mine is similar to yours, HO. I made 58 large meatballs last night. Veal, beef, pork mixture. I use chopped garlic and lots if chopped parsley, pecorino, pepper, bread crumbs (not much), eggs depending on meats and amount. About to brown them.

Awesome looking pot, GT. Hope the final product hits the mark.

Looks good. I just froze a bunch of mine last night. Those meatballs also make a fine meatball sandwich on some good Italian or muffalatta bread with sesame seeds. You can reduce the sauce for those a little to make a bit thicker.

Taste it after it's cooled in the fridge also. That's the best time to make adjustments...after the flavors have had time to marry each other. It's a pain, but it's a good idea. I reheated my in the oven because it tends to stick sometimes to the bottom of the pot. Stir often today to prevent that.

lookin good

the tubes of paste work, too. Really enhances the flavor of the sauce, as does the cheese or cheese rind.