Recipe submitted by Danielle of CITYGIRLGONEMOM.COM
Growing up as an Italian girl in NYC, many recipes, stories and traditions were had in the kitchen.
I can still hear my grandma Lucy yelling for me, “Daniella, come in the kitchen and help grandma roll the meatballs!”
The smell of roasting garlic and her stories about past loves and being a child with 12 brothers and sisters always had me mesmerized. She grew up in a building where Lincoln Center stands today. She shared a room with 5 of her siblings. I was always amazed at that. When they got the notice they had to leave the building to build Lincoln Center, they migrated to Brooklyn. Lucy lived for a beautiful 90 years and we talk about her often. Cooking for her family was something she cherished and her recipes will continue to pass on generation after generation.
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Through the years we all have added a modern day spin to Grandma Lucy's meatballs. Don't forget to check the end of the recipe to see what our family adds to jazz it up. Another thing to note is many Italians don't measure ingredients, we just cook by the eye. Works great for our family, but if you need some measurements I have included them in this recipe.
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- 3 lb 90% lean grass fed organic ground beef
- 1 lb lean organic ground pork
- 10 slices stale bread Pulse in the blender to make crumbs. If you have more than 10 slices of stale bread, just make more breadcrumbs for another day…..
- 1 cup milk
- 6-8 tbsp romano cheese our family swears by locatelli pecorino romano
- 6 eggs well beaten
- 5-6 garlic cloves chopped
- a decent amount crushed black pepper if you have Sicilians in the crowd, add some crushed red pepper!
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup freshly minced parsley
- Soak your breadcrumbs in milk and let all the milk absorb. Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly. Form meatballs. I like to roll them small and grandma rolled them rather big. TIP: Keep a large bowl of ice water handy and dip your hands in the ice water when forming your meatballs. It helps stop your hands from becoming a sticky mess. Stage your meatballs on a platter until they are all rolled and ready to cook. IF you find your meatballs are too soft and they will not hold their shape, then consider adding more breadcrumbs. If they are too hard, consider adding another egg.
- Fry them in a skillet, that has an ample amount of canola oil or olive oil. Turning them as the “sides” brown. I have baked them on baking racks at 450, turning every 15 or so minutes.
- Drop them in your gigantic pot of sauce and let them continue to cook until you are ready to eat.
- My rendition: I don't like to make my own bread crumbs, I enjoy using panko and a handful of basil in my meatball mixture. I also use ground turkey instead of the pork and ground beef. I have also used pureed carrots and have thrown that in.
- Uncle Frank: He, believe it or not, likes to add raisins. Don't ask why... He enjoys the sweetness.
- My dear friend Liz: She doesn't use chopped garlic, she uses a roasted garlic powder and likes the brand Penzys.
- My Cousin Angela: Grates zucchini for the health benefits and also only uses ground pork.
- My Cousin Damian: Beef & Veal and he says NO Basil.