Real Italian/Sicilian Meat Balls.

Worth1 · December 30, 2015

I am going to have spaghetti and meat balls for new years dinner.
I have heard a thousand ideas on what a real meatball is.
Some with pork veal and beef.
Some with beef and lamb.
Some pork and beef and some with just beef.
Then there is the spices that go in them.
I have even seen arguments break out about them.

In your opinion what is a real (Real Italian/Sicilian Meat Ball) or is there such a thing?

Worth

jillian · December 30, 2015

I do believe that "authentic" meatballs are comprised of veal, pork and beef. However I have I made using pork and beef, just beef, sometimes even ground turkey. The secret ingredient is pecorino romano cheese. I will never make meatballs without it . Seems the recipe came from Giada de Laurentiis.....pretty basic with fresh parsley and maybe a lil' basil, but man oh man that pecorino romano is key!

RayR · December 30, 2015

My late Sicilian grandmother never wrote down a recipe in her life, but I know she used fresh garlic, onion, fresh basil, Romano cheese and fennel seed in her meatballs.

Worth1 · December 30, 2015

I agree with the cheese in them too and not the powdered sawdust they sell in the green and red cylinder.

I just thought I would get opinions from other folks as I am headed to the store now to get supplies for the meal.
Depending on what they have and price as far as meat will make my determination as to what I do.
I sure as heck dont want to drag out the 70 pound meat grinder for this but I might have to.

Worth

Sun City Linda · December 30, 2015

Cheese is good food.

jillian · December 30, 2015

I couldn't agree more about the "sawdust" lol. The pecorino romano is a bit pricey but worth every cent!

Worth1 · December 30, 2015

Okay I am back and this is what I ended up with.
They may very well turn out the be the worlds most expensive meatballs.

I bought
2 pounds of ground chuck.
2 pounds of ground lamb.
2 pounds of ground pork.
A package of fresh basil.
.270 pound of Zerto Pecorino Romano from Italy (Made from Sheep).
.400 pound of Zerto Reggianito from Argentina(Made from pasture fed cows), I have had this stuff before and it is killer good.

None of this is grated.
Some fresh garlic.
And some plain bread crumbs.
I have the rest of the stuff at home like fennel and so on.
This is about as Authentic as I can get.

Worth

jillian · December 30, 2015

Now I will probably have to make some as well, thanks Worth! Your choice of ingredients look fit for a king. By the way, the sweet potato slaw was a huge hit with the family. I will definitely be making again, especially for holidays.

Worth1 · December 30, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by jillian

Now I will probably have to make some as well, thanks Worth! Your choice of ingredients look fit for a king. By the way, the sweet potato slaw was a huge hit with the family. I will definitely be making again, especially for holidays.

Thanks Jillian.
The pasta sauce will be made with,--------.
28 oz of crushed tomatoes.
28 oz of petite diced tomatoes.
56 oz of tomato puree.
All of it the Cento brand.
This will have sliced baby portabella mushrooms.
Red onion yellow onion.
Garlic.
A shot of Sweet Marsala wine along with a few other ingredients.

Worth

Father'sDaughter · December 30, 2015

Now you have me craving meatballs...

I think every Italian has their own recipe and "authentic" is whatever recipe their children grew up with.

Mom's are very simple, but very good. They were always made with just beef and included "enough" dry bread crumbs (hand grated from dried, leftover Italian bread), freshly grated Romano cheese, eggs, dried oregano, dried basil, and salt. They were always fried in oil first and then dropped onto the sauce for a long, slow simmer. If she made extra, she would pile them in a bowl after frying them and we were allowed to snack on them while waiting for dinner.

Worth1 · December 30, 2015

I tried a couple you can taste everything in them.
They will sit it an ice cold refrigerator and get mixed one more time on New years day before cooking.
I even tossed in a dollop of walnut oil.
The best meat balls I have ever made.

Worth
IMG_20151230_4373.jpg

IMG_20151230_50809.jpg

December 31, 2015

We need photos of the finished, ready to eat product- Worth, you are the master at enticing all of us with your wonderful creations. It will certainly be a great New Year's feast- I wish I was about 3000 miles closer to you!

Worth1 · December 31, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoParrott

We need photos of the finished, ready to eat product- Worth, you are the master at enticing all of us with your wonderful creations. It will certainly be a great New Year's feast- I wish I was about 3000 miles closer to you!

Thanks.
I dont know why I post so many pictures I guess it is because I dont have anyone to share with anymore.

Now should I bake them, I have never done that before.
My wife and I used to fight over draining the oil before the meat was put in the sauce.
I would act like I was doing it and then sneak it in the sauce.

The woman got so fanatical about it that she was running hot water over the ground beef before she would add it to get rid of the grease.
Then she was buying extra lean meat for hamburgers.

Worth1 · December 31, 2015

Meat balls and pasta sauce cooking with mushrooms and other things in it.
Enough to feed a small army.
Worth
IMG_20151231_54784.jpg

SueCT · January 1, 2016

They look wonderful. I also use extra lean meat, lol. And guess what? I don't rinse it, but I do add a little water to the meatloaf or meatball mix to keep it moist. Lean meat and water!

I actually got that tip from Ina Garten, who got it from a great Chef for keeping those mixes moist. I ate 100% ground beef meatballs all my life until I tried hers with pork and veal mixed with the beef. They tasted so different from what I was used to, I wasn't sure I even liked them. I put them in the freezer, determined to use them up and then go back to my childhood recipe. By the time I finished them I had not only gotten used to them, I loved them! Now I make them that way 90% of the time, lol. I have a coworker who is like 2nd generation Italian and she uses sausage for hers. I also know a great Italian cook who is working on her first cookbook, and who changes the mixture based on what she feels like having and whats available. I think that is probably how many recipes were developed and each family just starting remaking it the way they liked the best. I used my last meatball from the freezer recently so you are reminding me that I will have to be making more.

December 30, 2015	#1
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Real Italian/Sicilian Meat Balls. I am going to have spaghetti and meat balls for new years dinner. I have heard a thousand ideas on what a real meatball is. Some with pork veal and beef. Some with beef and lamb. Some pork and beef and some with just beef. Then there is the spices that go in them. I have even seen arguments break out about them. In your opinion what is a real (Real Italian/Sicilian Meat Ball) or is there such a thing? Worth

December 30, 2015	#2
jillian Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: North Carolina Posts: 880	I do believe that "authentic" meatballs are comprised of veal, pork and beef. However I have I made using pork and beef, just beef, sometimes even ground turkey. The secret ingredient is pecorino romano cheese. I will never make meatballs without it . Seems the recipe came from Giada de Laurentiis.....pretty basic with fresh parsley and maybe a lil' basil, but man oh man that pecorino romano is key!

December 30, 2015	#3
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	My late Sicilian grandmother never wrote down a recipe in her life, but I know she used fresh garlic, onion, fresh basil, Romano cheese and fennel seed in her meatballs.

December 30, 2015	#5
Sun City Linda Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: SoCal Inland Posts: 2,705	Cheese is good food.

December 30, 2015	#10
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	Now you have me craving meatballs... I think every Italian has their own recipe and "authentic" is whatever recipe their children grew up with. Mom's are very simple, but very good. They were always made with just beef and included "enough" dry bread crumbs (hand grated from dried, leftover Italian bread), freshly grated Romano cheese, eggs, dried oregano, dried basil, and salt. They were always fried in oil first and then dropped onto the sauce for a long, slow simmer. If she made extra, she would pile them in a bowl after frying them and we were allowed to snack on them while waiting for dinner.

December 31, 2015	#12
JoParrott Guest Posts: n/a	We need photos of the finished, ready to eat product- Worth, you are the master at enticing all of us with your wonderful creations. It will certainly be a great New Year's feast- I wish I was about 3000 miles closer to you!

January 1, 2016	#15
SueCT Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,460	They look wonderful. I also use extra lean meat, lol. And guess what? I don't rinse it, but I do add a little water to the meatloaf or meatball mix to keep it moist. Lean meat and water! I actually got that tip from Ina Garten, who got it from a great Chef for keeping those mixes moist. I ate 100% ground beef meatballs all my life until I tried hers with pork and veal mixed with the beef. They tasted so different from what I was used to, I wasn't sure I even liked them. I put them in the freezer, determined to use them up and then go back to my childhood recipe. By the time I finished them I had not only gotten used to them, I loved them! Now I make them that way 90% of the time, lol. I have a coworker who is like 2nd generation Italian and she uses sausage for hers. I also know a great Italian cook who is working on her first cookbook, and who changes the mixture based on what she feels like having and whats available. I think that is probably how many recipes were developed and each family just starting remaking it the way they liked the best. I used my last meatball from the freezer recently so you are reminding me that I will have to be making more.