Italian Pork & Veal Meatballs - Vincenzo's Plate
INGREDIENTS
Meatballs
500g (1.1 POUND) mixed pork & veal mince
3 garlic cloves
½ carrot, peeled and sliced in 2
½ celery stick
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh breadcrumbs
3 eggs (preferably free range)
Fresh parsley (chopped)
Dried herbs (sage, marjoram, oregano)
2 x slices of bread (with crust cut off, sliced into medium size pieces)
Water
4 Tbsp Pecorino cheese
4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
Bowl of water
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Sauce
1/3 carrot
1/3 celery stalk
1 Garlic clove
EVOO
Passata or peeled tomatoes
METHOD
The Sauce
1. Add a garlic clove, ½ carrot and ½ celery to the hand blender. Pour in a tablespoon of EVOO and blend.
2. Put a medium size frypan on the stove at a low-medium heat and add a generous drizzle of EVOO.
3. Once the oil starts to warm, add the vegetable puree, tomato passata (or freshly peeled tomatoes) and a sprinkle of salt. Then mix really well making sure all of the ingredients come together really well.
4. Leave the sauce to cook for 1-3hr (depending on how much time you have!). If you slow cook it, it ALWAYS tastes best, adding some basil toward the end so it enhances the flavour but doesn’t overcook!
The Meatballs
1. Put the garlic, carrot and celery into a small hand blender. Mix them together with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and blend until smooth.
2. Place the mince into a mixing bowl and add the vegetable mixture.
3. Add 3 fresh eggs, 3-4 tablespoons of fresh breadcrumbs and a generous amount of freshly chopped parsley.
4. Next, sprinkle dried herbs over the top, to really enhance the flavour of the Italian meatballs.
5. Now dip the slices of bread into the bowl filled with water, a couple at a time, then quickly removing them and squeezing all the water out using your hands.
6. Break up the wet bread into pieces, using both of your hands, adding them to your main mixture as you go.
7. Next up it’s time for the cheese! Add both the pecorino and parmigianno to the bowl and be sure to take the flavour of these Italian meatballs to a whole new level!
8. Add in a tablespoon (or two!) of EVOO along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
9. It’s now time to mix it all together! Using your hands (or a fork), mix the ingredients together really well, making sure the eggs are mixed well and everything is combined.
10. Do this, until you are able to form a large ball (for this part hands-only are best!) and most of the mixture has been removed from the sides of the bowl.
11. Now to form the Italian meatballs! Make sure you have cleared the space you are working on and prepare a tray with some baking paper on top.
12. Wash your hands thoroughly, keeping them a little bit wet to make it easier to work the mixture.
13. Get a palm full of ingredients (or less, depending on the size you want to make) and roll them into a ball.
14. Make as many meatballs as you can using all of your mixture and try to make them all more or less the same size as this will ensure they all cook through at the same time…