Veal And Pork Meatballs Recipes

VEAL AND PORK MEATBALLS WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY AND EGG NOODLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the meatballs: Soak the bread in the milk in a small bowl.
• Put the pork and veal in a large bowl. Squeeze the liquid from the bread and mash it into small crumbs between your fingers as you add it to the bowl. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic, eggs, parsley, a healthy drizzle of EVOO and some salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix gently to combine.
• Keep a bowl of warm water on hand for rolling the meatballs. Place wire racks over 2 rimmed baking sheets. Roll the meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls, moistening your hands as needed, and place on the racks (24 meatballs balls per rack). Bake until cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes.
• For the mushroom gravy: Bring the stock to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add the dried mushrooms and simmer until soft.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter and EVOO in a saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook until browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the thyme, garlic and shallots. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with Marsala, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Chop the reconstituted mushrooms and add to the gravy. Pour in most of the stock, reserving the last few spoonfuls, as grit may settle here. Stir in the cream and cook until the gravy thickens a bit. Add half the meatballs to the gravy. (Reserve the remaining meatballs for another meal, such as Stuffed Peppers with Broken Meatballs and Rice.)
• Cook the noodles in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain the noodles and divide among plates. Top with the gravy and meatballs, and garnish with parsley.
• Cook's Note: The meatballs and gravy can be covered and refrigerated for a make-ahead meal. Reheat, covered, over medium heat while you cook the pasta. Add a ladle of the starchy cooking water to the gravy if needed to thin.

REAL MEATBALLS AND SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.
• Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.
• For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
• Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

THE BEST MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add the water 1/2 cup at a time. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape if rolled into meatballs. (I usually use about 1 1/4 cups of water). Shape into meatballs.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Fry meatballs in batches. When the meatball is very brown and slightly crisp remove from the heat and drain on a paper towel. (If your mixture is too wet, cover the meatballs while they are cooking so that they hold their shape better.)

RAO'S MEATBALLS WITH MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, then add the salt pork. Sauté until fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard salt pork. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté just until softened. Add tomatoes with their juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 45 minutes. Add the basil, oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 1 minute more.
• Make the meatballs: In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, veal and pork. Add the eggs, cheese, parsley and minced garlic, then salt and pepper as desired. Add the bread crumbs and mix well. Slowly add up to 2 cups water, 1/2 cup at a time, until the mixture is moist; all the water may not be needed. Shape into 1 1/2 -inch meatballs.
• Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic and sauté until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes, then discard the garlic. Working in batches and taking care not to crowd the pan, add meatballs and fry until undersides are brown and slightly crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn and brown the other sides, about 5 minutes more. Transfer cooked meatballs to paper towels to drain, then add to the marinara sauce. Mix gently and serve.