Meatballs

I told you that I've been on an Italian food kick and that, coupled with the cold and snowy weather, required that I make meatballs immediately.  I was having friends over to watch the State of the Union address, so I thought it was a perfect opportunity to try a meatball recipe I'd been eyeing.  Plus, my friend Trevor love Italian food, and always brings a good bottle of wine to go along with it.

I found the recipe by searching the internet for "authentic Italian meatballs."  I realize now that what I made probably doesn't even come close.  No fresh garlic, some dried herbs, and just one kind of meat rather than three.  Plus, I used the extra lean ground beef, which probably makes Italian cooks everywhere roll their eyes and groan.

Anyway, I did start out by making my own breadcrumbs from a whole wheat baguette.  I ate the other half, obviously.  It was super-easy, though.  I used my brand new food processor to make the crumbs, and then I tossed them with a couple tablespoons of butter and toasted them.  Bread and butter. . . you can't go wrong.

The day before the dinner, I made the meatballs.  I let them sit in the fridge overnight to allow the flavors to meld.

Before my friends arrived, I made the sauce.  I find Bobby Flay to be generally brilliant when it comes to food and being a badass, so I went with his recipe.  He had a recipe for meatballs as well, one that included three kinds of meat and fresh garlic, but I decided to stick with my own.

My girlfriend, Amanda, got me this immersion blender for Christmas several years ago and it is A-MAZING.

Maybe a little too much fresh parsley.

Although the recipe calls for simmering the meatballs in the sauce for three hours, I earn an honest wage and don't have that kind of time.  So, I baked the balls in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, and simmered them in the sauce for 45 minutes.

They were good.

The best part is, leftovers can also be used to make some delicious meatball subs.  (Not pictured because we devoured them too quickly.)

Meatballs--serves 4

2 lbs ground beef (I used 90% lean)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried oregano
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley (I like flat leaf)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (a heavy pour never hurts anyone when it comes to cheese and wine)

Directions:

1.  Mix all ingredients together and mold into golf ball-sized balls.  Refrigerate overnight.
2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes, then simmer in sauce (below) for 45 minutes.

Tomato sauce
By Bobby Flay--Which I'll let you read yourself.  :)  I followed the recipe exactly, except I forgot to add the basil.  :(  I'm sure it would have been even better with it!

I served with whole wheat spaghetti one night and a whole wheat sub roll another night.  Both were excellent!  The meatballs freeze well, too!