The Savored Diversion: Italian Meatballs

Ahh....meatballs. Succulent, savory, moist and juicy. Pasta's most iconic sidekick. Nobody turns down a great meatball. And the first step to making a great meatball begins with the ingredients. It's also the first step in starting an argument over what makes a great meatball. Many a family has "gone to da mattresses" over what's in their meatballs. For me, I like to keep it simple. Ground beef, ground pork, chopped parsley, chopped onion, minced garlic, grated parmesan cheese, bread, eggs for a binder, salt and pepper, and my own special touch, toasted pine nuts. Fresh, delicious, and tasty! And while some people fry their meatballs, I prefer to bake them. Then I add them to the sauce and let them simmer for a while to marry the flavors. This recipe can go either way. And best of all, you can freeze them before you cook them, then take out how ever many you need for a relatively quick meal. Whichever way you go, I think you'll enjoy these Italian beauties.

Makes 24

(or one huge Godzilla sized meatball)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of pine nuts
Ground Beef 1 lb (90/10)

Ground Pork 1 lb

4 eggs

4 slices of bread

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese (grated)

1/4 Fresh Parsley (finely chopped)

1 small yellow onion (chopped)

1 clove of garlic (minced)

Salt and Pepper

Toast the pine nuts in a small, dry saute pan on medium high heat until golden. Let cool. In a large bowl, place the onion, beef, pork, toasted pine nuts, chopped parsley, cheese, garlic, and eggs. Wet the bread with water, squeeze out the moisture, then tear into tiny bits and add to the bowl of ingredients. Add a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. Using your hands, mix the ingredients well. Taste test the mix by heating some olive oil in a small saute pan and frying a small portion. If it needs salt and pepper, add to the ingredients in the bowl and taste test again until satisfied. Take a golf ball portion of the meatball mix and GENTLY pat into a ball. Do not squeeze. You are not trying to make diamonds out of a lump of coal. One of the reasons some meatballs come out tough and hard is because the cook was really squeezing down hard. When you've finished forming the meatballs, set aside what you need for your meal and freeze the rest. Bake these in a 325⁰ oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Eat as is or add to spaghetti sauce to marry the flavors. Plate, add more cheese, then enjoy!