Of the many lessons in life I count as blessings, having the chance
to stand alongside my grandmother while she taught me how to make her
meatballs is high on my list. I can picture the day clearly in my mind.
Her worn, green Pyrex bowl filled with torn bread, ground beef, grated
cheese, and chopped parsley. Two perfect egg yolks sitting at the top of
the pile.
She always mixed them with her hands, forming each
handful into balls exactly the same size as the first. Something that
came with ease after years of honing her skill. There was no recipe
involved, because like her method, the ingredients were committed to
memory.
The meatballs served when I was a young child and the ones I was served
as a teenager had minor changes along the way. The basis of what made
them amazing was the same, but like most cooks, she catered to her
audience - which for her was four hungry grandchildren. When I was
little she would sometimes add pine nuts and raisins to them
{something that might seem odd, but is actually quite popular in Southern Italy}. But I suppose after one too many dinners witnessing her grand kids picking out each and every one, she stopped that practice.
Another, quite significant change came much later down the road, when
my grandmother decided that frying meatballs wasn't the healthiest way
to prepare them. Quite frankly, I don't remember ever noticing a
difference in how they tasted, but it was at that point when she began
baking them in the oven and never looked back.
On a special
occasion I might spend an afternoon frying a few dozen meatballs and let
them simmer in 'gravy' all afternoon, but in my opinion, for everyday
purposes the extra effort is simply not worth it. I can do without the
grease and sauce splattered stove, walls, floors, and counter tops. But
for those who might think any other method but frying is sacrilege, I've
included my method for frying in the recipe as well.
While I wanted to note some of the evolutions, there are a few components to making great meatballs which will never change
{at least not in my world}.
I've made them with ground turkey. I've used them in soup. I've served
them on toothpicks as a party appetizer. But what makes them taste so
good no matter how I've served them is a generous proportion of Parmesan
cheese and chopped parsley. None of that silly ground beef/veal/pork
combo nonsense. No aromatics, like chopped onions or garlic
{sorry, but
once you add those to meatballs, you've got meatloaf}. And certainly, no
dried oregano. This is one of those instances where keeping it simple
really does pay off.
Meatballs for dinner is something I can count on every member of my
family eating with enthusiasm. It can be relied on when I need a
guaranteed-to-please meal for company. And I'm fairly certain that the
person who first uttered the words "the way to a man's heart is through
his stomach" was suggesting you serve him meatballs.
I'm also sure that my grandmother knew exactly what she was giving me when she told me how to make them.
Note: This post was originally written in August 2008, but was given a facelift and update on July 12th 2012 - Enjoy!
A few more of my Italian favorites -
Baked Pasta with Mini Meatballs |
Tomato Sauce with Onions & Butter |
Italian Style Mini Meatloaves |
Homemade Italian Salad Dressing |
Zucchini Blossom Fritters |
Ciambotta |
Spaghetti with Braised Kale