Calabrian-Wisconsin Meatballs
These perfect Italian-American meatballs have stood the test of time, with the perfect, meaty, cheesy texture. Delicious simmered in tomato sauce, or fried up and eaten with freshly buttered bread.
Ingredients
- 4 cups bread, preferably Italian bread with the crusts removed
- 7 eggs
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or microplaned
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3 cups grated pecorino romano, or other hard, salty Italian cheese (parmesan works nicely)
- 1 T salt (more or less to taste)
- Neutral tasting frying oil, as needed.
Instructions
- Take the bread, and either process in a food processor into bread crumbs, or tear with hands until it's in small pieces, no bigger than a 1/2". (If bread is quite soft, you might find it easier to tear into pieces.) Place finished bread crumbs or pieces into small bowl.
- In large bowl, whisk together eggs.
- Add rest of ingredients and bread into large bowl, and mix together thoroughly, using hands.
- Once you have a homogeneous mix, test for seasoning. Do this by either frying a tiny portion of the mix in a pan, or cooking in microwave. Check for salt level, and adjust accordingly.
- Roll into balls. Size the balls so you get approximately 25-30 balls per pound of meat (about 75 balls for this recipe). They should be about 1 1/2" across.
- Heat a frying pan to medium heat, and pour a shallow layer of oil. Working in batches, fry the meatballs until cooked through, about 8-12 minutes. If you'd like to test with a thermometer, internal temp should read 140 degrees.
- Remove from oil, and place on paper towel to drain.
- Meatballs can either be simmered in tomato sauce and served over spaghetti, or served "Warren-style," which is fresh out of the frying pan, with a side of bread and butter. Both are very delicious.