Mamaduke
23-06-2006, 13:45
I just thought I'd post this recipe after reading the meatballs thread...
It's from Rocco DiSpirito's restaurant (he's a chef in the U.S) - it's his mama's recipe...it's fiddly, but I guarantee that it's well worth it.
I'm also going to include the recipe for Mama's Sauce which goes with the meatballs as well as being a great base for other dishes.
Mama's Meatballs:
Serves 4 as antipasto or over spaghetti.
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
250g. beef mince
250g. pork mince
250g. veal mince
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1tsp red pepper flakes
1tsp salt
3-6 cups Mama's Sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1. Place the chicken stock, onion, garlic & 1/2 of the parsley in a blender or food processor and puree.
2. In a large bowl, combine the pureed stock mix, meat, breadcrumbs, eggs, Parmigiano Reggiano, red pepper flakes, parsley & salt. Combine with both hands until mixture is uniform. Do not over mix.
3. Put a little olive oil on yhour hands and form mixture into balls a little larger than a golf ball. They should be about 1/4 cup each, though if you prefer bigger or smaller, it will only affect the browning time.
4. Pour about 1/2 inch of extra virgin olive oil into a straight-sided, 10 inch wide saute pan and heat over medium-high flame. Add the meatballs to the pan (working in batches if necessary) and brown meatballs, turning once. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
5. While the maeatballs are browning, heat the Mama's Sauce in a stockpot over medium heat. Lift the meatballs out of the saute pan with a slotted spoon and put them in the sauce. Stir gently. Simmer for one hour.
6. Serve with a little extra Parmigiano Reggiano sprinkled on top.
Serve alone or over spaghetti (in which case you will need 6 cups of Mama's Sauce).
Mama's Sauce:
Serves 6
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 onion, peeled and chopped fine
3 Tblsp. olive oil
chilli flakes to taste
2 x 875ml cans tomato puree
875ml can crushed tomatoes
1 Tblsp. tomato paste
1 tspn. sugar
1 cup chicken stock
red pepper flakes to taste
salt to taste
1. Cook the garlic and onion in the olive oil in a pot over a medium-low flame, about 10 minutes or until garlic is tender and onions translucent, not brown (this is called 'sweating' because it will draw out alot of moisture & flavour). Add the chilli flakes to taste.
2. Add all the tomato products. Pour the chicken stock into one of the cans. Fill it the rest of the way with water and add that and the sugar to the pot. Stir and bring to a simmmer. Taste and season with salt and cover. Simmer the sauce for about 1 hour. The sauce should be fairly thin, but not watery and very smooth. Uncover and simmer for 3 minutes if it is too thin for your taste; add a little water if it seems too thick.
Buon appetite!:chef:
It's from Rocco DiSpirito's restaurant (he's a chef in the U.S) - it's his mama's recipe...it's fiddly, but I guarantee that it's well worth it.
I'm also going to include the recipe for Mama's Sauce which goes with the meatballs as well as being a great base for other dishes.
Mama's Meatballs:
Serves 4 as antipasto or over spaghetti.
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
250g. beef mince
250g. pork mince
250g. veal mince
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1tsp red pepper flakes
1tsp salt
3-6 cups Mama's Sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1. Place the chicken stock, onion, garlic & 1/2 of the parsley in a blender or food processor and puree.
2. In a large bowl, combine the pureed stock mix, meat, breadcrumbs, eggs, Parmigiano Reggiano, red pepper flakes, parsley & salt. Combine with both hands until mixture is uniform. Do not over mix.
3. Put a little olive oil on yhour hands and form mixture into balls a little larger than a golf ball. They should be about 1/4 cup each, though if you prefer bigger or smaller, it will only affect the browning time.
4. Pour about 1/2 inch of extra virgin olive oil into a straight-sided, 10 inch wide saute pan and heat over medium-high flame. Add the meatballs to the pan (working in batches if necessary) and brown meatballs, turning once. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
5. While the maeatballs are browning, heat the Mama's Sauce in a stockpot over medium heat. Lift the meatballs out of the saute pan with a slotted spoon and put them in the sauce. Stir gently. Simmer for one hour.
6. Serve with a little extra Parmigiano Reggiano sprinkled on top.
Serve alone or over spaghetti (in which case you will need 6 cups of Mama's Sauce).
Mama's Sauce:
Serves 6
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 onion, peeled and chopped fine
3 Tblsp. olive oil
chilli flakes to taste
2 x 875ml cans tomato puree
875ml can crushed tomatoes
1 Tblsp. tomato paste
1 tspn. sugar
1 cup chicken stock
red pepper flakes to taste
salt to taste
1. Cook the garlic and onion in the olive oil in a pot over a medium-low flame, about 10 minutes or until garlic is tender and onions translucent, not brown (this is called 'sweating' because it will draw out alot of moisture & flavour). Add the chilli flakes to taste.
2. Add all the tomato products. Pour the chicken stock into one of the cans. Fill it the rest of the way with water and add that and the sugar to the pot. Stir and bring to a simmmer. Taste and season with salt and cover. Simmer the sauce for about 1 hour. The sauce should be fairly thin, but not watery and very smooth. Uncover and simmer for 3 minutes if it is too thin for your taste; add a little water if it seems too thick.
Buon appetite!:chef: