Thursday, January 9, 2020
Classic Italian Meatballs
If you were to ask my 2 sons to list the most memorable foods they ate while growing up, meatballs would likely be at at the top of the list. You see, Grammy (my mom) managed an Italian restaurant when they were young. Their favorite food there was meatballs.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1-1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs (I use whole wheat)
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 medium onion, finely minced or grated
- 1 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1-1/2 lbs. ground pork
- 3 lbs. ground beef.
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine eggs, water, buttermilk, and breadcrumbs in a bowl; let rest for 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken as the bread crumbs absorb the liquid. To this thickened mixture, add garlic, onion, parsley, cheese, oregano, salt, and pepper; stir until combined. In separate large bowl, combine ground pork and beef. Mix meats with fingers or a large fork using a light touch until 2 meats are combined throughout. Add bread crumb mixture to meats. Mix these together, again using a light touch with fingers or large fork. Combine ingredients well, but do not overmix. Form meatballs with hands, or use a scoop. For larger meatballs, use 1/4 cup meat per meatball or use a generous 2" scoop. For mini meatballs, use 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons per meatball or a generous 1-1/4" scoop. Place meatballs on baking sheets. Bake large meatballs for 30 minutes and mini meatballs for 15 minutes, until no longer pink in center.