Italian Meatballs
List of Ingredients
1/3 c milk
1 slice firm, fine quality white bread, crust removed
1 lb lean ground beef
1 T finely chopped yellow onion
1 T chopped parsley
1 egg
a tiny pinch of nutmeg or marjoram
3 T freshly grated parmesan cheese
olive oil
salt
freshly ground pepper, 3 to 4 twists of the mill
fine, dry unflavored bread crumbs
1 can italian style tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
Recipe
1. Put the milk and the bread in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Mash the bread witha fork and blend it uniformly into the milk. Set aside and let cool before proceeding to the next step.
2. In a mixing bowl put the meat, onion, parsley, egg, nutmeg or marjoram, grated parmesan, 1 T of oil, the bread and milk mush, 1 t of salt and the pepper. Mix everything thooughly but gently by hand.
3. Gently, without squeezing, shape the mixture into small round balls about one inch in diameter. Roll the meatballs lightly in the bread crumbs.
4. Choose a skillet, large enough to hold all the meatballs in a single layer, with a cover. Pour in oil until it is 1/4 inch deep. Turn on the heat to medium high, and when the oil is quite hot, slip in the meatballs. (Sliding them in with a broad spatual is a good way of doing it. Dropping them will splatter hot oil over you and the floor.) Brown the meatballs on all sides, turning then carefully so they don't break up or stick to the pan.
5. When well browned turn off the heat, tip the pan slightly, and remove as much of the fat that floats to the surface as you can with a spoon. Turn the heat to medium, add the chooped tomatoes with their juice and 1/4 t of salt, and gently turn the meatballs over once or twice. Cover the skillet and cook until the tomato has thickened into sauce, about 25 minutes. While cooking turn the meatballs from time to time, and taste for salt.
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