Beef-and-Pork Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Seven or so years ago, my meatball quest ended. It ended when I discovered that Molly Wizenburg—author, restaurant owner, blogger—had been on the same quest and finally found a recipe that was perfect. Oh good! I thought. Thank you for doing the work for me.
Molly may not know it, but she’s partially responsible for this cookbook. Because in the last line of the article in Bon Appétit magazine, where she shared her meatball recipe (which she learned from the chefs at Seattle’s Cafe Lago), she wrote, “That’s the beauty of a repertoire: that in drawing from a whole world of recipes, you wind up making your own.” Yes!
I didn’t do much to her recipe, honestly. I fiddled a bit with the amount of each ingredient, upping the parsley and decreasing the Parmigiano, just little tweaks, the process of making a recipe one’s own. Molly favors Marcella Hazan’s recipe for a butter-enriched tomato sauce, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I use my own tried-and-true recipe. We agree on one thing, however, which is that there’s no point in cooking the meatballs before adding them to the sauce. If you poach them in the tomato sauce they’re extremely tender, and some of their meaty, cheesy goodness fortifies the sauce.
Ground Parmigiano (as opposed to grated) makes a difference here. I found the easiest way to do it is to pulse some cubed cheese in the food processor.
Of course tomato sauce and meatballs belong with spaghetti, but you can also use these meatballs in a sub, or spoon them over polenta or a thick slice of grilled bread.
Serves 6 to 8
For the sauce:
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, slivered
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt, to taste
3 sprigs fresh basil
For the meatballs:
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 cup whole milk
8 ounces ground beef (15% fat)
8 ounces ground pork
½ cup finely ground Parmesan cheese (see notes)
1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Pour the tomatoes into a bowl and use your hands to crush them. Combine the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a heavy bottom pot over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, until the garlic turns the palest golden color (give an eye on it; you don’t want the garlic to brown). Pour in the tomatoes and add a few teaspoons of salt.
Bring to a lively simmer, then reduce the heat so the sauce is bubbling gently. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and reduced and a slick of oil has risen to the top, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat, stir vigorously and season to taste with salt. The sauce can be used immediately or cooled to room temperature, covered and refrigerated; the cooled sauce can also be frozen in plastic storage bags for up to three months (I pour the sauce into quart-size bags and lay them flat on a baking sheet, then freeze, still on the baking sheet, until solid. Then they’ll stack neatly in your freezer).
While the sauce cooks, make the meatballs: Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl and pour the milk over. Let stand 10 minutes, then use your hands to remove the crumbs from the bowl, squeezing to remove the excess milk. Transfer the soaked crumbs to a large bowl and discard the milk. Add the remaining ingredients and mix gently but thoroughly to combine (don’t overwork the mixture or the meatballs will be tough). Form into 1 ½-inch meatballs and set on a rimmed baking sheet or plate. Refrigerate until ready to cook; the meatballs can be made up to a day ahead.
If you’re planning to serve the meatballs with pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta to the water at the same time you add the meatballs to the finished pot of simmering tomato sauce and cook until al dente. Cook the meatballs, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.