Papa's Meatballs, my way.
My papa taught me that two key elements make a meatball tasty. 1, texture. Fry before you bake. 2, space in the ball. Breadcrumbs and chopped onions create additional volume within the meatball, making the overall texture and flavor more desirable.
Ingredients
> 2t dried oregano, 1t fresh
> 3/4t dried thyme, 1t fresh
> 1t dried basil
> 9 garlic cloves, minced
> 1 onion, diced
> 1/4C - 1/2C fresh parsley, chopped
> 3/4t - 1t red pepper
> 2t salt
> 1t pepper
> 1C - 1.5C bread crumbs hand-torn from a stale/hard loaf of bread
> 1 egg
> zest of 1 lemon
> 1lbs ground beef
> 1lbs spicy Italian sausage
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* Tips *
To mince garlic easily, peel garlic and rough chop it. Sprinkle with salt, then continue to chop garlic, and occasionally drag the garlic with the knife at an angle across the board while applying slight pressure to break the garlic further down.
Warm oven to 375 F. Prepare your ingredients. Dice the onion, chop the fresh herbs, place all dry herbs, s&p, and spices in a mortar and pestle, and grind together. Mince the garlic. In a medium bowl, top bread crumbs with water to gently soak. You want the bread crumbs to be soft before adding to the mixture. Begin to bring a 12" saute pan to temperature, medium-high heat. Add all ingredients together in a large bowl. Your hands are your best friend for mixing the mixture. Form the mixture into medium-sized meatballs, place them into the hot pan, and brown on each side for about 2-3 minutes. Once you have browned all the meatballs, place onto a baking sheet and pop into the oven to bake for 22 minutes.
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I like to mix two pasta sauces together for the gravy. A spicy marinara combined with a three-cheese blend makes a delicious sauce! Chop in some fresh basil as the sauce simmers and enjoy!