Italian Meatballs

• doses: 6
• tempo total: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredientes

One 1/4-ounce (7 g) packet unflavored gelatin (optional, see note)

1/2 cup (120 ml) homemade chicken stock or low-sodium broth (optional, see note)

6 ounces (170 g) crustless fresh white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 1/2 unpacked cups)

1/3 cup (80 ml) buttermilk, plus more as needed

2 cups finely minced yellow onion (9 ounces; 265 g) from 1 large 10-ounce onion

2 ounces (55 g) Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about 1 1/4 cups), plus more for serving

8 medium cloves garlic (about 1 3/4 ounces; 50 g), finely minced (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (1/2 ounce; 15 g), minced (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)

4 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground fennel seed

1 tablespoon Diamond crystal kosher salt (9 g); for table salt use half as much by volume or the same weight

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound (455 g) ground beef (at least 25% fat; see note)

1 pound (455 g) ground pork (at least 25% fat; see note)

5 cups (1.2 L) tomato sauce

Instruções

In a heatproof measuring cup, sprinkle gelatin all over surface of stock and let stand for 5 minutes. (If not using stock and gelatin, proceed to Step 2.) Microwave stock, stirring once or twice, until gelatin completely dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour stock into a wide heatproof bowl and refrigerate until fully set, about 30 minutes.

In the bowl of a cuisinart, combine bread with buttermilk, tossing to coat. Let stand, mixing occasionally with spatula, until bread is completely moist, about 10 minutes. Squeeze bread between your fingers or mash with a spoon to make sure there are no dry spots; if there are dry spots that refuse to moisten, add more buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until bread is moist throughout.

Add onion, Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic, parsley, egg yolks, oregano, fennel, salt, and pepper to bread/buttermilk mixture. Finely mince gelled stock, if using, and add.

Use cuisinart to finely chop the panade. Starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, chop bread mixture until thoroughly blended, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary, 1 minute.

Remove bowl and add beef and pork. Using a clean hand, gently mix meatball mixture, teasing apart ground meat with your fingers, just until ground beef and pork are thoroughly mixed in and no pockets of unincorporated meat remain; avoid mixing any more than is necessary for even distribution but get a good mix in so the meatballs stay together when broiling.

Preheat broiler and set oven rack in upper position. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil. Form meatball mixture into tight handball-sized balls (about 2-inches wide and about 3- to 3 1/4-ounces each) and arrange on prepared baking sheet; you should be able to make about 20. Broil meatballs until browned on top, 7 to 10 minutes. (Browning times can vary dramatically, depending on oven broiler strength.) Repeat with remaining meatballs.

Heat tomato sauce in a medium pot until simmering and add half of the meatballs. Simmer until meatballs are just cooked through and register about 145°F (63°C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter. Repeat with remaining meatballs.

Serve meatballs, spooning sauce all over and grating more cheese on top.

Notas

Use a cuisinart, just finely chopping wasn’t enough, the large pieces made the meatballs fall apart. Also best to chill the meatballs before broiling, try to make in advance and broil later.

This recipe makes about 20 handball-sized meatballs; you can make them smaller or larger, as you prefer, but cooking times will change.

The chicken stock and gelatin help make meatballs that are insanely juicy and tender, but these meatballs will still be incredibly moist even without them.

It can be difficult to guarantee the fat percentage of pre-ground meat, but a higher-fat mix of about 25% is one of the keys to juicy and tender meatballs, so do your best to track down ground beef and pork from a meat counter or butcher that can get you the meat ground to your specifications. Similarly, the meat should be a fine or medium grind, not coarse, so make sure to confirm a proper grind when buying. Of course you can control all of this by grinding the meat yourself using cuts like beef chuck and pork shoulder, which both will get you in the ballpark of the fat percentage you need; if you do grind the meat yourself, you can save time by running the pancetta through the grinder too (just make sure it's nice and cold before grinding).