Meatballfactory Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Season the onions generously with salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The onions should be very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.
• In a large bowl combine the meats, eggs, Parmigiano, parsley and bread crumbs. It works well to squish the mixture with your hands. Add the onion mixture and season generously with salt and squish some more. Add the water and do 1 final really good squish. The mixture should be quite wet. Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini hamburger size patty and cooking it. The mixture should taste really good! If it doesn't it is probably missing salt. Add more. Add more anyway.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Shape the meat into desired size. Some people like 'em big some people like 'em small. I prefer meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. If using right away, add them to your big pot of marinara sauce. If not using right away, they can be frozen for later use. Serve with pasta and sauce or just eat them straight out of the pot! YUM!
• Coat a large saucepot with olive oil and add the pancetta. Bring the pot to a medium-high heat and cook the pancetta for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, season generously with salt and stir to coat with olive oil. Cook the onions for 6 to 7 minutes stirring frequently. The onions should become very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes stirring frequently.
• Pass the tomatoes through the food mill. Be sure to pass all of the pulp through the holes leaving only the stems and the seeds, and be sure to scrape the pulp off of the bottom of the food mill. That's all of the big money stuff! Add the tomatoes to the pot and rinse out 1 of the empty tomato cans with water and add that water to the pot (about 2 to 3 cups). Season generously with salt and TASTE IT!!!! Tomatoes take a lot of salt. Season in baby steps and taste every step of the way. Cook the sauce for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently.
• Use the sauce right away on pasta or for any other tomato sauce need. This sauce can also be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for a few days and freezes really well.
• Yield: 2 quarts

Steps:

• To make the dough, in a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, granulated sugar, and yeast. Stir in the warm milk until well-combined, and set aside until small bubbles form at the surface, about 5 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg yolks, and salt. Add to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, adding a cup at a time. After the third cup has been added, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, adding as much of the remaining 1/2 cup of flour as needed. The dough should be tacky and a little greasy. It shouldn't be sticky. If it is, add more flour a little at a time, but try not to add too much at this stage. Knead until smooth and springy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease lightly with cooking spray or brush with oil. Set aside.
• To make the meatballs, in a large bowl, stir the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, milk, parmesan, salt, pepper, parsley, cloves, granulated garlic, granulated onion, dried oregano, dried basil and crushed red pepper flakes until just combined. You don't want to overwork the mixture. Divide and shape into twelve even meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from the oven to cool.
• Once the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured work surface and lightly knead a few times to release the air. Divide into 12 even pieces (roughly about 2 1/3 ounces each). Working with one at a time, pull the ends of the dough towards the center to form a tight ball and then place on your work surface (no flour should be needed at this stage) and using a cupping motion firmly roll the dough with the palm of your hand to create a smooth tight ball. Place on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Continue shaping and rolling the rest of the dough, placing them all on the same baking sheet, evenly spacing them out. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for another 30 to 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
• Once done, use your finger tips (lightly greased to prevent sticking) to stretch the center of each slightly to create 2-inch-wide wells. Brush with egg wash and then fill the center of each with about a tablespoon of marinara. Sprinkle the centers with mozzarella and parmesan. Place a meatball in the center of each kolache. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and parmesan and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with basil before serving. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheated before serving. Enjoy!

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.

Steps:

• Pour tomato sauce into a large stockpot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low to keep sauce warm while preparing meatballs.
• Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush lightly with oil.
• Whisk bread crumbs, milk, egg, Italian herb seasoning, olive oil, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl to form a thick slurry. Set aside.
• Combine beef and veal in a large bowl. Season with salt, black pepper, and white pepper; sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Pour in slurry and mix until combined.
• Use a small portion scooper to form meat mixture into about 48 meatballs. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake meatballs under the preheated broiler until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn meatballs and broil until browned on both sides and no longer pink in the center, 3 to 4 additional minutes.
• Transfer meatballs to the stockpot with the simmering tomato sauce. Increase heat to medium and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or longer if desired.

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.