Meatball Factory Recipes

MEATBALL FACTORY

Steps:

• In a skillet, heat oil and saute onions till soft and starting to carmelize. Add garlic, reduce heat and continue cooking until garlic is soft (mushy). Remove from heat and add rest of seasinings, allow to cool, refrigerate. (this may be done the day before, to allow the flavors to marry).
• Puree cooled seasonings mixture with blender (I use hand held variety), adding eggs, salt and 1c. liquid (milk, water or stock).
• In a large mixing bowl (or even your turkey roaster) blend together beef and pork adding breadcrumbs and romano cheese. Add seasoned egg miture mix well. (generally for this step I remove watch, scrub up to the elbows and knead using my hands) You should also work fast as to not allow your meat to spoil. If mixture seems dry or is hard to mix add more liguid, a bit at a time.
• Return meat to refrigerator if its warming up too much.
• Set a large stock pot 3/4 full of water on to Boil. Once this is at a rolling boil you may add your batches of meatballs.
• Start rolling like a mad person! Here I generally flatten out a large (1/4 of the batch) approx 15"x15" square about 1.5" thick then cut 1.5" strips then go crosswise cutting into 1.5" squares. This ensures same sized meatballs and they're much quicker to grab and roll.
• Carefully drop rolled meatballs into boiling water. They will come to the surface in approximately 7-8 minutes allow then to boil for 5 minutes longer.
• Remove from pot with large slotted spoon and place on tray (cookie sheet also works) to cool. As the meatballs cool, they turn brown as of baked or fried (yet they remain soft and moist).
• Keep doing this until all your meatballs are cooked and cooled.
• (Do NOT throw away that yucky water! As I usually have a bunch of little helpers with me in the kitchen, their favorite treat comes next. The last batch of meatballs rolled are mini ones. The Fat is skimmed from the water (which is now a broth of sorts) veggies and acini de pepe (small pasta)along with the mini meatballs are added a bit of fresh parsley. And Voila - "Meatball Soup")
• Set Trays in Freezer, and allow meatballs to freeze for a couple of hours.
• Remove. Tap trays to loosen meatballs. Package in ziplock storage bags. And return to freezer.

CLASSIC BEEF MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the olive oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.
• Combine the ground beef, ricotta, eggs, bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, and fennel in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
• Roll the mixture into round, golf ball-size meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches), making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.
• Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.
• While the meatballs are roasting, heat the tomato sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often.
• When the meatballs are firm and fully cooked, remove them from the oven and drain the excess grease from the pan. Pour the tomato sauce over them. Return the meatballs to the oven and continue roasting for another 15 minutes.

THE OLD SPAGHETTI FACTORY'S MEATBALLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine chopped onion, garlic, parsley and bread crumbs in a food processor and mix 30 seconds. Break the egg into a 3-quart bowl and mix well using a wire whisk. Add water, olive oil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the egg and whisk until well whisked. Add the bread crumb mixture, combining with a spatula. Add the ground meat and mix thoroughly until ingredients are well distributed and the mixture is binding together tightly. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Using a medium-sized ice cream scoop, scoop out a portion onto a lightly oiled jelly-roll pan. Form each meatball by rolling in the palm of your hand until they feel tight and solid. (The finished meatballs should be about the size of a golf ball.) Pour 1/4 cup water into the pan and place in the oven. Time 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and loosen with a spatula. Return to the oven an additional 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain. Heat the tomato sauce in a large skillet. Add the meatballs and simmer 2 minutes. Serve over pasta or rice. This recipe yields ?? servings.