Classic Meatballs

Name: Classic Meatballs
Yield: Serves 4–6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 10 oz. ground beef chuck or veal; 1 ¼ cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped, plus more to garnish; 1 ½ tsp. fennel seeds; 2 tbsp. milk; 2 oz. finely chopped pork fat or unsmoked bacon; 2 oz. prosciutto, finely chopped; 10 oz. ground pork shoulder; ½ tsp. ground cumin; 1 tsp. chile flakes; ⅔ cup ricotta, drained in a sieve for 2 hours; Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to garnish; 2 tsp. dried oregano; 1 cup beef or veal stock; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 4 cups canned tomato purée; 3 eggs, lightly beaten; 6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing; ¼ cup red wine; 7 slices white bread, finely ground in a food processor; ¼ tsp. ground allspice

Preparation info

Serves
4–6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Italian Comfort Food

By The Editors of Saveur

Published 2015

About

There are a lot of ingredients in traditional meatballs—several meats, herbs, a variety of spices, milk, cheese, and more—but the results are a study in perfect balance. Moist, salty, and airy, with a tiny bit of heat from chile flakes, these meatballs epitomize Italian comfort food.

Ingredients

10 oz. ground beef chuck or veal
10 oz. ground pork shoulder

Europe
Italy
Main course
Mediterranean

Method

In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, pork fat, prosciutto, parsley, oregano, fennel seeds, chile flakes, cumin, allspice, and bread crumbs and season generously with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, mix ingredients until combined and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together ricotta, milk, and eggs; add to meat mixture and gently mix until incorporated. Chill for 1 hour.