Meatballs

What more can I say? Sometimes you see them on a food show, or a pasta commercial, and you just become obsessed can't shake the thought. MEATBALLS. It has been haunting me for at least four days now, and I just can't get them to leave me alone. They're prowling my dreams, that might be because I'm pregnant and when I want something....well enough said. This post will be born because of it!

Whenever I make meatballs, despite my fabulous Italian heritage, they turn out with a ton of flavor but like dense little golf balls. I am aiming for those dreamy meatballs that are super fluffy and moist, and you don't need a chainsaw to get them apart. I am looking at several recipes to doctor to my liking, and my meaty adventure begins :)

I'll be posting an online picture (which looks very similar to mine) until my camera gets in to get you nice and hungry, and I will return with my success.....or perhaps failure :/

 

 

 By the way, this picture was found on http://rozannegold.wordpress.com

*UPDATE* - Success!!! I adapted a recipe from Anne Burrell since I was cooking for two, and I tweaked the amounts of certain things. As it turns out, I never had the appropriate ratio of water and bread crumbs to meat. Be warned, although they may seem rather wet, these worked out fantastic!

Meatballs

Extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 purple onion, small dice
Salt
1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped
½ tsp crushed red pepper
¾ lb ground beef
1 large eggs
½ cup finely grated mozarella (you can use parmesan, but I like the texture of a melting cheese, and it helps to keep them together)
2 tsp oregano or rosemary (dried, or 1 round tbsp. fresh)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup water 

Coat a saute pan with olive oil over medium heat. Sweat your onions for 5 to 7 minutes, to help with this, salt generously. You're looking for them to be clear with no color, then add your garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook 1 to 2 more minutes and let the mixture cool.  This is important so you don't have the crunchy raw onions you find in a lot of meatballs, and the flavor changes when they get cooked.

Add your meat (I'm sure a different mix of meat would also yield a good meatball, I used what I had), egg, herb(s), cheese, and breadcrumbs. Use your hands to give this a good mix to distribute ingredients before adding the onion mixture with a good pinch of more salt, and continue to mix. Lastly, add your water and do one final mix before making the actual balls (he he)...I would make a tiny little meatball patty and cook it in a pan to test your seasoning. If it doesn't quite taste good enough, its probably just lacking salt or a little red pepper, so adjust before you cook the rest.

Heres where people differ, do you bake them, sear them in a pan and finish in the oven, and do you have to finish them in sauce? Its ALL preference, I used to sear them, but then I got picky because they didn't turn out round, every side I seared turned into a flat surface. If you like really crisp meatballs, you could sear them and finish them in the oven, or I bake them at 425 for about 15 minutes because I finish them in sauce. I ensure some crispness by broiling for about 5 to 7 minutes until they're brown before dropping them in the sauce. If you're just baking, I would go about 20 minutes (for about golf ball sized balls), you can always check with a meat thermometer until they're about 165. 

Lastly (I PROMISE, actually last), what about sauce? I love my meatballs with a good marinara, but a lot of the time, I buy it in the jar and just add my own spices if I have time. You made the meatballs! Buy the sauce! Also goes great with alfredo sauce, or pesto. Have fun!