Wanna share your best homemade meatball recipe??

Thanks for your help!!!

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1361

Swedish Meatballs

3 cups dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups light cream
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pound ground veal
1 1/2 cups milk
6 egg yolks or 3 whole eggs
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Shortening


Preparation Instructions:

In large bowl, soak bread crumbs in cream; mix in meat thoroughly. Stir in remaining ingredients except shortening. Shape mixture into 1 inch balls. Melt shortening in large skillet; brown and cook meatballs. Serve meatballs from chafing dish; keep "seconds" warm in the oven. 25 servings.

** Not homemade. Scrounged from the web.

This is from a lady that had a column in the local gossip rag down in the West Palm Beach area of FL: She is centering on low fat "balls".

I used to make terrible meatballs, until I tried her recipe.It also includes her sauce recipe, which I dont use. But she is old time "Italian momma".. So it should be good also..She speaks honestly and from the heart...I love her meatballs, they only thing I do differently is cook the meatballs in the sauce and not in the oven first..
Then strain any oil.



Granny Guru's sauce and meatballs.


SPAGHETTI SAUCE AND MEAT BALLS JUST LIKE GRANDMA USED TO MAKE!
I will speak at 10:30 a.m., Monday, April 11 at the Robert Morgade Library in Stuart (772-463-3245). The public is invited.
I now have many new readers, and I must repeat the recipe for real Italian spaghetti sauce since it is the foundation of southern Italian cooking. Of course, every person of Italian descent makes it a little differently.
For my sauce, I always use an Italian brand of tomatoes, since I've been told the tomatoes are sweeter. True? Who knows, but most Italian brands use plum tomatoes, which are better for sauce.
A basic tomato sauce, one to which you will add meat if you choose, does not contain oregano. Oregano is used in a marinara sauce. Disagree? That's fine; but try my sauce and you be the judge.
The secret to great tomato sauce is one, in the ingredients, and two, in the method of cooking. One thing you really need is a large, heavy pot. I use an old, hammered aluminum one that was my grandmother’s. Try to find a used one or invest in a good heavy pot and be sure to use a flame tamer — a small metal trivet.
Never let the sauce burn; it will become bitter and there’s no fixing it. Trivets cannot be used on glass-top stoves; for them, keep the flame low and stir often.
Gone are the days when lard or bacon drippings were used as a base – at least in my house, my column and my cookbook. After learning my cholesterol was too high, I changed as many of my recipes as possible, getting rid of the bad (saturated) fat and putting in the good (unsaturated) fat or no fat when possible. Now my sauce is fat-free. Amazingly, it's still delicious.
Adding grated Romano cheese to the sauce as it cooks adds a little fat but so much flavor.
SPAGHETTI SAUCE
serves 6 or more
1 large (28 oz.) can of tomato puree
1 large (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes with added puree
2 small cans, or 1 large can, of tomato paste
2 large onions
2 medium carrots
2 large cloves of garlic
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
5 or 6 large fresh basil leaves, whole, or 1 tbsp. dried basil
Pinch of dried rosemary, crushed between fingers
Several sprigs of fresh Italian parsley, chopped, or 1 tbsp. dried parsley
1 handful grated Romano cheese
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
Few shakes of crushed red pepper (optional)
Water or chicken broth
Peel onions and garlic; trim and scrub carrots. Carrots contain a natural sugar, which usually eliminates the need for adding sugar. Chop the vegetables very fine (a food processor is great for this). Sauté in a large pot in the oil , or use water if you want a completely fat-free sauce. As Mamma used to say, “You must cook the vegetables until they melt.” Of course they don't actually melt, but they become soft as butter.
Since you are using a very small amount of oil, you must keep adding water, about a cup at a time, as it cooks down. This is the longest preparation process for the sauce and can take about 30 minutes.
Add the tomato puree and cook a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add the remaining ingredients and either broth or water until the sauce is thinned to desired consistency.
Stir well; bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to just a simmer. Cover and let the sauce cook for two hours, stirring occasionally.


Meatball Recipe.....

Now let's add some meatballs. When you use fresh ground beef, meatballs can be low-fat.
My meatball recipe was handed down to my mother. A combination of ground beef, pork and veal can be used but we prefer them with beef only.
I can remember as a teenager being told, “There are seven ingredients in the recipe plus the meat.” You must count on your fingers: salt, pepper, egg, garlic, cheese, parsley and bread.
If you use regular ground chuck or beef, which contain a fair amount of fat, the “seven ingredients rule” still holds true. When using fresh, fat-free ground beef, an eighth ingredient must be added to keep the meatballs from going flat: breadcrumbs.
NOTE: Add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and 1/4 cup ice water to 1 pound of meat, to replace bad fat with good fat.

ITALIAN MEATBALLS
serves 4 or more
regular and low-fat
1 lb. fresh-ground fat-free beef
2 large eggs, an equivalent amount of egg substitute, or 3 egg whites
4 slices white bread or Italian bread
2 medium cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. plain breadcrumbs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
5 or 6 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, chopped, or 1 tbsp. dried parsley
1 handful grated Romano cheese
Soak bread in water. Squeeze dry. If using Italian bread, which is preferable, remove as much of the crust as possible.
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands. Shape into balls a little larger than a golf ball.
Place on a cookie sheet that has been treated with cooking spray and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes.
Cooked meatballs should then be simmered in the spaghetti sauce for 30 minutes. Overcooking will make them fall apart.
_____________________________________________________

I swear after making these, I dont use any other recipe and do get high marks when serving them. But I only use Beef, that is the only other variation when using the above meatball recipe, besides not cooking them in the oven first.
Tara

(This is from the winner of Emeril's Meatball contest-He was on the show this past wednesday 2/15/06)
(North End Boston)
Frankie's Gravy and Meatballs


Meatballs:
2lb. ground beef
4 eggs
1-1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese



Gravy (sauce):
1/2 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste (Flotta or Pastene)
1 (6 oz.) can water (use empty tomato paste can)







2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground balck pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley chopped



2 (28 o90z.) cans Pastene
Kitchen Ready tomatoes
3/4 can water (21 oz. use
empty Kitchen Ready can)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper 1 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped




In a bowl, mix all ingredients for meatballs with hands for about 5 minutes, until well mixed. Form about 16 meatballs and place on a platter. In a frying pan, add olive oil and when hot, add meatballs and cook on medium heat until browned. Repeat until all meatballs are browned. Place meatballs on a new platter. Do not discard the oil.

Sauté chopped onion and chopped garlic in the oil for approximately 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring all the while. Add can of water (tomato paste can) and cook and stir for 1 minute. Take off heat and set aside.

In an 8-quart pan, add tomatoes and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 3/4 can water (Kitchen Ready can), tomato paste mixture from fry pan, and browned meatballs. Mix thoroughly, stirring carefully with wooden spoon as not to break meatballs. Add salt, ground pepper, and parsely and cook on medium heat for the first 15 minutes, then cover and cook on low heat for 2-1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent sticking and burning on bottom of pan, until done.

Serve over al dente pasta and sprinkle with some grated Pecorino Romano cheese, along with crusty Italian bread and a good bottle of red wine.

My favorite meatballs were not the ones we put in our sauce, but some deep fried ones we called Rajoli served like appetizers.


Rajoli

4 lb high quality ground beef
16 hamburger rolls - crushed into chunky breadcrumbs and soaked in some milk
4 cloves garlic minced
bunch parsley chopped
4 eggs and 4 egg yolks
1/2 c olive oil
2c parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
1 tea pepper
approx 3 tea salt
Spry or other solid shortening for frying

Mix all ingredients thoroughly then let sit in the icebox for about 2 hours. Shape into small balls about 2" in diameter cook in deep fryer about 5 to 10 meatballs at a time.
Place on paper towels to cool. Eat a couple while you are cooking them.

I make a mean Swedish Meatballs too (my taste for 'em comes from attending all those Polish weddings)


Sonny's Swedish Meatballs

1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
9 ounces ground beef
9 ounces ground pork
1/4 cup soda water
Package sweedish meatball mix (or, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 tea onion powder, 1/2 tea onion flakes)
1 T grated raw onion
2T butter for frying


For the sauce
1 3/4 cup reduced beef stock
2 T butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
3/4 C half and half (or 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/4c water)
1/2c sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tea dried dill weed
1/2 tea instant coffee
2 to 3 T dry sherry

INSTRUCTIONS:
For the meatballs: In a medium-size bowl, soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 10 minutes. Mix the meats in with the breadcrumbs and add all the other ingredients. The mixture will be a bit wet and sticky. Using your hands dipped in cold water, form the mixture into small meatballs of uniform size, about 1 inch in diameter. Heat half of the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs, a few at a time. After half the meatballs are done, add the remaining butter and continue. When browned, put into a medium-size saucepan and set aside.

For the sauce: deglaze the pan with 3/4c stock, remove from pan and set aside. Add 2T butter to pan and fry the flour ... add the remainder of the stock and the reserved deglazed stock. Add dill and coffee. Add the half and half and simmer (do not boil) add sour cream. Add sherry.
Add the reserved meatballs to rewarm prior to serving on stovetop or in oven pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve the meatballs with the sauce.

Wow... Never really realized there was recipes for meatballs... I toss about the same stuff into my mix (less the ketchup) that I do up for meatloaf, ball them up and pan fry them to brown the outside. From there, I'll let them simmer in my sauce or soup...

quote:

Originally posted by roossy90
One thing you really need is a large, heavy pot. I use an old, hammered aluminum one that was my grandmother’s.

She uses an aluminum pot for tomato based sauce? Ewwww.

My recipe for Meatballs for Spaghetti And--
1 lb sweet italian sausage
1 lb ground beef

My recipe for Meatballs for Spaghetti And--

1 lb sweet italian sausage
1 lb ground beef

Mix these two meats together

add 1 egg
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (we use Progresso with italian seasoning)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2-3 tsp italian seasonings (generic or best luck with Pampered Chef)
1/2 cup milk

Incorporate all ingredients. Use medium ice cream scoop and bake in oiled pan for 50 minutes and serve with spaghetti and sauce. Mmmm...

This will serve about 4 with a pound of spaghetti.

I wish I had asked my Nonna when she was still alive, but I neglected to do so. Therefore, I only have my memory of her "polpettone." (=meatball, Roman style). They definitely had ground veal, ground beef, maybe ground pork, in addition to chopped hard-boiled eggs, raisins, and pignoli (pine) nuts. And I am sure that breadcrumbs and various seasonings were added.

Anyone have a recipe like this? They were absolutely delicious.

quote:

Originally posted by Sonny Funzio

My favorite meatballs were not the ones we put in our sauce, but some deep fried ones we called Rajoli served like appetizers.


Rajoli

4 lb high quality ground beef
16 hamburger rolls - crushed into chunky breadcrumbs and soaked in some milk
4 cloves garlic minced
bunch parsley chopped
4 eggs and 4 egg yolks
1/2 c olive oil
2c parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
1 tea pepper
approx 3 tea salt
Spry or other solid shortening for frying

Mix all ingredients thoroughly then let sit in the icebox for about 2 hours. Shape into small balls about 2" in diameter cook in deep fryer about 5 to 10 meatballs at a time.
Place on paper towels to cool. Eat a couple while you are cooking them.

I heard the Polish version mentioned on a game show just the other day. They said that they were deep fried, and served with mustard. This sounds very much like them.
Contestant got the question wrong. She thought they were Swedish, but swedish arent deep fried. She should have paid more attention to the question. HA HA.. The audience also got it wrong.
But your recipe looks good, and I am going to try them fried like that.

quote:

Originally posted by enginecapt

quote:

Originally posted by roossy90
One thing you really need is a large, heavy pot. I use an old, hammered aluminum one that was my grandmother’s.

She uses an aluminum pot for tomato based sauce? Ewwww.

I agree.. But I couldnt change her recipe.. LOL
She was born in Italy, and is about 60 years old herself. I hate to see the condition of that pan now..LOL

This is a different type of meatball; it's an entree by itself, no pasta necessary. It probably sounds weird, but I promise it's really good! I have no idea where my mother originally got the recipe, since she's been making these for as long as I can remember--at least since sometime in the 1960's.


Porcupine Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef or other meat
1/2 C. raw regular rice
1 T. finely chopped onion
2 T. chopped green pepper
1/2 salt
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1 clove garlic. (or 1/2 tsp pd.)

Mix & form into balls.
Sauce: (I usually double sauce recipe)
1 16 oz can tomatoes, put through blender
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 T sugar
1 T. Worchestershire sauce

Mix everything together, bring to a Simmer & add meatballs.
over tightly & simmer 1 hour

I don't have a recipe, but use a combination of ground pork and beef. If I can find it, sometimes stores will carry a "meatloaf mixture" - ground pork, veal, and beef. I add finely chopped onion, garlic, and celery, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Something I got from Cook's Illustrated - for every pound of meat mixture - use two slices of white bread - remove crusts,tear in small pieces, make a paste mashing into 1/3 cup buttermilk. Mix well, shape the meatballs, bake in oven until browned, remove, drain, before adding to the sauce.

I use a basic recipe but lately I have been putting a cube of really good sharp aged cheddar cheese inside the Meatball.It is a nice little suprise when eating them.

QueenB - I think Porcupine Meatballs, or Porcupines, were popular at least as early as the 50s or 40s. They appear in most pressure cooker cookbooks of the period. The "miracle" was that raw rice would cook inside the ground meat, and poke out in little spines (reportedly providing hours of entertainment for the entire family). Some recipes even use canned tomato soup for the sauce base.

I had a roommate in college who grew up with these and adapted the recipe to work in a regular pan. I remember them as being pretty good. Yours is the first recipe I recall seeing written for conventional cooking.

I recently read an article in "Cook's Illustrated" about making an all-beef meat loaf. They suggested that, by adding 1/2 tsp. (per 2 pounds beef) of unflavored powdered gelatin, the meat would mimic the textural smoothness that veal imparts. Since I've quit using veal in my meatball recipe (just beef and pork), I think I'll try this the next time I make them. pb

quote:

Originally posted by Ashphalt

QueenB - I think Porcupine Meatballs, or Porcupines, were popular at least as early as the 50s or 40s. They appear in most pressure cooker cookbooks of the period. The "miracle" was that raw rice would cook inside the ground meat, and poke out in little spines (reportedly providing hours of entertainment for the entire family). Some recipes even use canned tomato soup for the sauce base.

I had a roommate in college who grew up with these and adapted the recipe to work in a regular pan. I remember them as being pretty good. Yours is the first recipe I recall seeing written for conventional cooking.

My Wife makes a version of this, in a creamy Tomato Sauce it is a very popular Russian (which she is) dish, they call Yosjikee (not sure how to spell it in Russian (hedgehogs) they are pretty tastey.

Thanks for that info, Ashphalt! I'm always curious about where some of these recipes came from, but my Mom is getting older and doesn't remember where she got them a lot of the time. She always made these meatballs in the electric skillet, although I usually use the regular one. They are fun to have when you're in the mood for something 'different"!

Here is my recipe:

1-½ pounds of ground beef and pork mixture.
2 small eggs
3/4 to 1 cup grated Locatelli Romano cheese
1-teaspoon ground pepper
1-teaspoon kosher salt
1-tablespoon parsley
1 teaspoon basil
1-tablespoon water
3/4 cup of Parmesan breadcrumbs (Progresso)
1-tablespoon garlic powder

Mix ingredients well and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.
Roll the meatball the size of a golf ball
Bake in a 350 F degree oven for 20 minutes and turn them over and bake for another 20 minutes.
Place meatballs in your tomato sauce and simmer for a minimum of 45 minutes.

Mangia