My Meatballs

Christine's Meatballs 

Of all the dishes I make, the one that people ask me to prepare the most is my meatballs.  I even had one older Italian woman tell me that my meatballs were just like the ones her grandmother used to make.  To me, that was the highest of compliments.  

While I make this dish regularly for anyone close to me who requests it, I have never given the recipe to anyone.  I have simply told them that I could tell them how to make meatballs, but not how to make MY meatballs.  

Christine's Meatballs

Ingredients

1lb ground meat

1 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp fresh Parsley  

1/2 cup Parmesan, freshly grated  

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

3 eggs, lightly beaten

Marinara style tomato sauce

1.  Start your marinara style sauce in a large saucepan.  

2. Combine all ingredients well in a bowl.  Try not to over work the mixture;  only mix until everything is evenly distributed.  

3.  Roll meat mixture into grape sized balls.  By all means, if you prefer larger meatballs, then roll them bigger.  I like the small meatballs because they work better for my meatball lasagna, ziti and meatballs, etc. 

4.  Heat Olive oil (enough to coat bottom of a large skillet) on medium heat.  

5. Cook meatballs in small batches, being sure that none of the meatballs are touching.  Allow them to brown on one side, then flip.  Stir them in the hot oil after the second side has browned for 1 minute.  

5.  With a slotted spoon, move the meatballs to the sauce and stir carefully.

6.  Repeat steps 4 and 5 until all meatballs are cooked.  Simmer for 1-2 hours. It's OK if the balls are not completely cooked through when you first add them to the sauce.  Just make sure they are browned on all sides  They will be cooked through within about 20 minutes of simmering.  

I am making this tonight so that it will be ready for tomorrow night's dinner.  So tomorrow night, I will use these meatballs to plate up an Italian Feast!   Of course I will blog about it, and will show you how to make my homemade bread!