mmmmeatballs


 

j biesinger

TVWBB Platinum Member
I want to recommend the A16 cookbook. We haven't dug into it too much, but what we have has been spectacular. The recipe for "monday meatballs" alone, might be worth the cover price.

The meatballs are a mix of pork, beef, ricotta, and ground proscuitto. I recently made a double batch so I had some to freeze.

one sheet of baked meatballs cooling on the porch:
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and on top of some pasta:
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Note from Moderator: I've added the recipe text below in case the link later in this thread goes dead at some point.

These meatballs were originally created as a Monday special by the chefs at A16 restaurant in San Francisco as a way to use up scraps leftover from butchering whole animals. They pay deference to the rustic cooking of southern Italy, but have taken on a life of their own. At dinner, the restaurant limits serving them on Mondays despite demand. But they are a regular on the lunch menu and among the most popular dishes at A16's sister spot in Tokyo.

Monday Meatballs from A16

Makes 6 servings

10 ounces boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes and ground in a meat grinder or finely chopped in a food processor

10 ounces beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes and ground in a meat grinder or finely chopped in a food processor

6 ounces day-old country bread, torn into chunks and ground in a meat grinder or finely chopped in a food processor

2 ounces pork fat, cut into 1-inch cubes and ground in a meat grinder or chilled in a freezer for 15 minutes then finely chopped in a food processor

2 ounces prosciutto, chopped and ground in a meat grinder or chilled in a freezer for 15 minutes then finely chopped in a food processor

1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2/3 cup fresh ricotta, drained if necessary
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup whole milk
1 can (28-ounce) San Marzano tomatoes, with juices
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Parmesan cheese, for grating
Extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with olive oil or cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine the pork, beef, bread, pork fat, prosciutto, parsley, 1 teaspoon of the salt, oregano, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes. Use your hands to mix just until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs and milk just enough to break up any large curds of ricotta.

4. Add the ricotta mixture to the ground meat mixture and mix lightly with your hands just until incorporated. The mixture should feel wet and tacky.

5. Pinch off a small nugget of the mixture, flatten it into a disk, and cook it in a small saute pan. Taste it and adjust the seasoning of the mixture with salt if needed.

6. Form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. You should have about 30 meatballs.

7. Bake, rotating the sheets once from the front to the back, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned. Remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees.

8. Sprinkle the tomatoes with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and then pass the tomatoes and their juices through a food mill fitted with the medium plate. Alternatively, put the entire can of tomatoes in a large bowl and then squeeze them into small pieces with your hands.

9. Pack the meatballs into 1 large roasting pan or 2 smaller roasting pans. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs, cover tightly with foil, then braise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the meatballs are tender and have absorbed some of the tomato sauce.

10. Sprinkle the meatballs with the basil. To serve, ladle meatballs with some of the sauce into a bowl. Grate Parmesan over the top, then drizzle with olive oil to finish.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 540 calories; 282 calories from fat; 31 g fat (11 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 186 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrate; 36 g protein; 4 g fiber; 1,472 mg sodium.
 
Oh man -- ichiban meatballs. And you're using my favorite pasta -- those little flower-shaped thingies. (My choice for puttanesca sauce too, it catches all the good bits).
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Oh man </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I was hoping this would catch your eye...I ground the pork butt, beef chuck and proscuitto myself, with my grinder
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.

Where else can you get ground proscuitto, other than making it yourself?
 
Just found the recipe and, like your cook, it looks fantastic! My to do list is becoming excessively long!
Did you do these inside or out?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Just found the recipe and, like your cook, it looks fantastic! My to do list is becoming excessively long!
Did you do these inside or out? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

you have the cookbook, or found it online? I was hesitant to post the actual recipe.

I baked the meatballs in the oven.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> O U T S T A N D I N G ! ! !

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jim, you crack me up! I swear it has to be exhausting to be that enthusiastic all time!
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Found it online. Could you glance & confirm? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

that's it, word for word.

one note, we use a teensy bit of fennel. My wife isn't a fan. This batch I told her they could probably use a bit less, and she said she hardly put any in. Keep this in mind, as the fennel (with the pork) kind of changes the meatballs into sausage balls.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">kind of changes the meatballs into sausage balls </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Funny you said that! Was thinking the same thing. Not necessarily a bad thing depending upon where your going. I'm thinking, the texture of a traditional meatball with a sausage (fennel) undertone. I've been fighting with my use of fennel seed for a bit. Really crazy what the addition does in a tomato sauce. Just what your saying: the allusion of sausage! Sausage note without the fat!
 
these babies made the BEST meatball bomber:

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I'm so stoked that I got a couple more packs in the freezer. Making and packing a double batch might have been one of my best ideas, ever.

Tonight's dinner was off the charts in terms of the ease of preparation to deliciousness ratio
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by j biesinger:
these babies made the BEST meatball bomber: </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

BOMBS AWAY !!! Keep um coming I'll eat them all
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Tonight's dinner was off the charts in terms of the ease of preparation to deliciousness ratio </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I'll BET!
Jeff, I have not had a meatball sandwich i liked... REALLY!
Butt, if your MBS is ANYTHING like the photos you posted in March, I'd sink into it without one iota of hesitation!
LooksGREAT!
 
They look good.

On the fennel, a simple suggestion: Don't use whole seeds. Toast some (whoever much you choose) then grind, somewhat coarsely to finely, your choice. Makes a difference.

If you're not making your own ricotta yet...
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">On the fennel, a simple suggestion: Don't use whole seeds. Toast some (whoever much you choose) then grind, somewhat coarsely to finely, your choice. Makes a difference.

If you're not making your own ricotta yet... Smiler </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Something certainly needs to be done about the fennel. Grinding might me the way to go. My wife doesn't like the whole seeds, and she was kind of picking them out of her sandwich
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I haven't made ricotta (some fresh mozz, yes). I'm trying to find some good, locally farmed milk, before I go into production.
 
I use that when I can. In many places I cook - and both homes - not possible (even though there are dairies all around me in Fla). But a combo of good organic milk and organic cream does the trick nicely.

Yeah, try grinding. Toast to dry further and develop the flavor, then grind.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">But a combo of good organic milk and organic cream does the trick nicely. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

does raw gain you anything?
 
Not to me. The raw aficionados would disagree (they're wildly passionate) but I've done both and don't find a difference. The dairy is heated (fortunately; despite what the raw folk say raw milk can contain beasties) so whatever one supposedly gains by using raw is lost at that point. Now, were the dairy to be from particularly pastured animals this might be different. Barring that don't let it stop you.

(Many make ricotta with vinegar. I almost always use lemon juice.)
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">so whatever one supposedly gains by using raw is lost at that point. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

that's what I was thinking. thanks.
 
The Corrado's near me makes their own ricotta and mozzarella on a regular basis. Who needs to make their own? I've been known to spoon some of the fresh ricotta into a bowl and drizzle with honey. So good. One of the benefits of living in Jersey.
 

 

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