I love Italian food.
I grew up most of my childhood in Italy.
{It's a small town outside of Dallas, Texas}
But still! My dad did live in the REAL Italy for two years.
And he LOVES my Italian recipes.
{I flatter myself, blush...}
Speaking of Italian food,
Nothing beats Buca Di Beppo and their family style restaurants.
Their meatballs are out of this world delicious
and big enough to feed a small child for a week.
Here's my take on mastering the flavor, texture & size of these tasty balls of fun.
BUCA Di BEPPO STYLE MEATBALLS
{serves 6 hungry Italians}
1/2 -3/4 cups minced garlic {that's a lot of garlic! I know!}
2 T oregano {or Italian seasoning blend}
2 T pepper
1 T salt
1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 small onion, diced very fine
1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1 pound Italian sausage
2 pounds ground beef
5 eggs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a jellyroll pan {or 2 - 9X13 pans} with foil and drizzle with olive oil.
Spread the oil over the foil evenly with a brush or your hands.
Then in a BIG bowl, add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, cheese, onion and crumbs.
{For the garlic I buy the jars of already minced, but fresh garlic.
It's easy enough and taste better than the powder}
Stir together until combined well.
Add in the eggs and meat.
Now - The trick to GREAT meatballs is they really need to be mixed well.
Take off any jewelry you don't want to get dried animal parts into
and sink your hands deep into your bowl.
You want to mix this with your hands for several minutes.
Squeezing all the meat into a very fine, er, paste-y type meat mixture.
You don't want clumps, ever.
Just keep at it mixing and squeezing it in your hands until you feel it is very fine and well mixed.
Then take a little taste to make sure it is seasoned properly
{NO YOU LUNATIC IT IS RAW MEAT!}
I just wanted to see if you were paying attention. ha.
BUT, to make sure you do have enough seasoning,
I use the Ratatouille approach.
Take a big whiff through your nose and if it's deliciously fragrant,
then you are good.
If you only smell raw meat, add garlic and oregano.
So, when it's mixed well, and seasoned perfectly,
{you really didn't taste it did you?}
Then take a big handful of meat and make a ball with both hands.
You want it to be about as big as your palm.
Seriously, make them big.
You won't regret it.
You may be thinking, THREE POUNDS OF MEAT?!
But if you make the meatballs as big as your palm,
you should end up with about 18 meatballs.
Place them one by one onto to your prepared pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, you will want to be boiling your favorite pasta noodles
and heating up your favorite sauce in a large pot.
It's sad, but the best way to check if they are done is to sacrifice one meatball and cut it in half.
When the meat is no longer pink, you are ready to eat.
Throw the meatballs, well actually just set them down nicely into the sauce,
unless you want red tomato sauce splattered everywhere.
I just ate three meatballs for lunch, and I'm not going to eat the rest of the day!
phew... that was good.
I grew up most of my childhood in Italy.
{It's a small town outside of Dallas, Texas}
But still! My dad did live in the REAL Italy for two years.
And he LOVES my Italian recipes.
{I flatter myself, blush...}
Speaking of Italian food,
Nothing beats Buca Di Beppo and their family style restaurants.
Their meatballs are out of this world delicious
and big enough to feed a small child for a week.
Here's my take on mastering the flavor, texture & size of these tasty balls of fun.
BUCA Di BEPPO STYLE MEATBALLS
{serves 6 hungry Italians}
1/2 -3/4 cups minced garlic {that's a lot of garlic! I know!}
2 T oregano {or Italian seasoning blend}
2 T pepper
1 T salt
1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 small onion, diced very fine
1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1 pound Italian sausage
2 pounds ground beef
5 eggs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a jellyroll pan {or 2 - 9X13 pans} with foil and drizzle with olive oil.
Spread the oil over the foil evenly with a brush or your hands.
Then in a BIG bowl, add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, cheese, onion and crumbs.
{For the garlic I buy the jars of already minced, but fresh garlic.
It's easy enough and taste better than the powder}
Stir together until combined well.
Add in the eggs and meat.
Now - The trick to GREAT meatballs is they really need to be mixed well.
Take off any jewelry you don't want to get dried animal parts into
and sink your hands deep into your bowl.
You want to mix this with your hands for several minutes.
Squeezing all the meat into a very fine, er, paste-y type meat mixture.
You don't want clumps, ever.
Just keep at it mixing and squeezing it in your hands until you feel it is very fine and well mixed.
Then take a little taste to make sure it is seasoned properly
{NO YOU LUNATIC IT IS RAW MEAT!}
I just wanted to see if you were paying attention. ha.
BUT, to make sure you do have enough seasoning,
I use the Ratatouille approach.
Take a big whiff through your nose and if it's deliciously fragrant,
then you are good.
If you only smell raw meat, add garlic and oregano.
So, when it's mixed well, and seasoned perfectly,
{you really didn't taste it did you?}
Then take a big handful of meat and make a ball with both hands.
You want it to be about as big as your palm.
Seriously, make them big.
You won't regret it.
You may be thinking, THREE POUNDS OF MEAT?!
But if you make the meatballs as big as your palm,
you should end up with about 18 meatballs.
Place them one by one onto to your prepared pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, you will want to be boiling your favorite pasta noodles
and heating up your favorite sauce in a large pot.
It's sad, but the best way to check if they are done is to sacrifice one meatball and cut it in half.
When the meat is no longer pink, you are ready to eat.
Throw the meatballs, well actually just set them down nicely into the sauce,
unless you want red tomato sauce splattered everywhere.
I just ate three meatballs for lunch, and I'm not going to eat the rest of the day!
phew... that was good.
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Mmmmmmmmmboy!