Italian Meatballs

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (at least 16 percent fat)
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 2/3 cup milk (whole or 2 percent)
• 3 slices bread, crusts removed (about 3 ounces)
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese or 1/4 cup romano cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 teaspoon marjoram
• 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 26 ounces marinara sauce, of your choice
• 16 ounces pasta

Recipe

• 1 heat the milk in a small pot until steamy.
• 2 turn off the heat, tear the bread into little pieces and soak it in the milk until it partially dissolves.
• 3 mash it until you get something that resembles a paste.
• 4 turn it out onto a plate to let it cool.
• 5 heat marinara sauce in pan.
• 6 in a large bowl, combine the beef, lamb, ricotta cheese, grated parmesan, eggs, salt, parsley, oregano, black pepper, garlic cloves and the bread-milk mixture.
• 7 mix it well with your hands until it barely combines.
• 8 don't overwork the mixture or it will become tough.
• 9 it is ok to have some discernible bits of bread or meat in the mix; better that than overworked meatballs.
• 10 wet your hands and form the meatballs.
• 11 a traditional size for this sort of meatball is 2-3 inches across, but you can make them any size you want.
• 12 once you roll the meatball in your hands, roll it in the flour to give it a good coating.
• 13 set each one on a baking sheet as you work.
• 14 you might need to rinse your hands a few times as you make the meatballs.
• 15 when all the meatballs are formed, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• 16 brown the meatballs on at least two sides.
• 17 don't worry about the center getting cooked through, as you will finish these in the sauce.
• 18 once all the meatballs are browned, arrange them in the sauce, turning each one over in the sauce to coat.
• 19 cover the pot and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes.
• 20 serve with the sauce and pasta or crusty bread.
• 21 sprinkle with a little chopped parsley for garnish if you want.