Meatball Success

little j likes meatballs. Actually, we all like meatballs. Accordingly I try to make them from time to time but have very little success. Until tonight, that is. There are a few things that I have learned need to be included: egg, parsley, white bread soaked in milk or buttermilk, grated Parmesan, and one special ingredient that may surprise you (see recipe). Let me reiterate a very important ingredient: WHITE BREAD. The fluffier (read: cheaper) the better. Why then is it so difficult to produce a good meatball?

Well, frying produces a nice crisp exterior, but the inside may or may not be done and they may or may not fall apart. The oven seems like a better method, but what really counts there is the size: too big and they don't cook through, too small and they dry up and fall apart.

I've been thinking about making meatball subs for a couple of days and this was a good time since I picked little j up at 3:30 and she was sitting in the kitchen doing homework while I had plenty of time to cook.

After consulting my various recipes and looking up a couple of new ones, I knew what I had to do. And, according to the Js, they were the best meatballs I had ever made. I have two minor regrets: 1) I used only beef and the next time I would use half beef and half pork or some variation thereof; 2) I didn't make my own sauce, but that's for another day since I am already comfortable with making sauce.

That Girl's Meatballs

2 slices white bread, crusts removed
milk or buttermilk (I prefer the latter)
1 pound ground beef (not too lean) or 1/2 beef and 1/2 ground pork
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 egg, beaten
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray or lightly oil rimmed baking sheet.

Tear bread into bite-sized pieces and place in bowl. Add just enough milk or buttermilk to cover and let stand at least 5 minutes. Place beef (and pork, if using) in a medium bowl. Add Parmesan, salt, pepper, parsley, egg, and nutmeg. Squeeze excess moisture from bread; it will still be damp, but not soggy. Mix all ingredients with fork or hands.

Form mixture into golf-ball sized balls, a scant 1/4 cup, and place on prepared baking sheet. You should have approximately 18 meatballs.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. You can check with a bamboo skewer, the meatballs should hold together.

At this point the meatballs are done and can be added to sauce or served as is. You could also make the meatballs a bit smaller to serve as hors d'oeuvres. In that case, reduce the cooking time.