While this is not traditionally a dish found in restaurants around Italy, I think it’s pretty much synonymous with Italian American cuisine. My approach is to keep it simple and treat it as two dishes combined. Meatballs in a marinara sauce.
There are so many options for meatballs and so many things you can add. This is my basic recipe and feel free to experiment.
Ingredients:
Meatballs:
1 lb Beef, ground, but not too lean. 80/20 is perfect.
1 lb Pork, ground
2 Tbsp Breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp Milk, whole.
2 Eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp Parmesan or Romano Cheese, grated
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp Onion, grated.
1 clove Garlic, crushed.
Dash of freshly grated Nutmeg.
Gently combine the meat using two forks to pull it together without compacting it. The key to a good moist meatball is not to overwork the meat. Then combine the breadcrumbs and milk and add the two eggs and beat the mixture.
Gently mix the garlic, onion, grated cheese and nutmeg into the meat mixture and add the breadcrumb, milk and egg mixture in a bit at a time gently incorporating it with a fork and then finish with salt and pepper. Cover it, and into the fridge for at least an hour.
Sauce:
Olive Oil
1 medium Onion, minced
1/2 cup Carrot, minced
1/2 cup Celery, minced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Marsala or White Wine
2- 28oz cans of whole peeled Tomatoes, crushed by hand.
Salt and Pepper
Preparation:
Form your meatballs into the size of about a golf ball. Then you have two choices. You can lightly sear them in a sauté pan with olive oil or you can drop them into your simmering sauce. I believe either way is good.
Sauté your onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until it’s translucent, and the smell changes slightly. The key to a good sauce is a properly prepared sofritto.
Deglaze with your wine and add your tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer. Add in your meatballs and simmer gently for 2-3 hours.
Serve with spaghetti and traditionally some garlic bread. Perfect!
The Louisville Chef 