Italian Meatballs

I don't go out of my way to make reciples simple and easy--if that means sacrificing flavour or quality. But this recipe is so easy that you could train a monkey to do it. You can fry the meatballs in a pan on the stovetop for something more authentic, but it's a lot of screwing around and takes a long time. This will make 20 meatballs (easily feeds 6 people) but you can refrigerate (7 days) or even freeze (3 months) these and they'll be fine.

BEWARE: This is a very filling meal. Three meatballs and you're lolling about on the lounge like a beached whale that just ate a slightly smaller whale.

Add extra basil and oregano if desired.

Ingredients

• Sauce:
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil, extra virgin
• 1 Onion, medium, diced
• 1 tbsp Garlic, minced, or to taste
• 3 x 400g cans Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Italian Herbs Blend, Masterfoods brand is perfect
• 1 tsp Salt, or to taste
• 1 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste
• 1 tsp Sugar, or to taste
• 200g Sausage Mince, hot and/or sweet, optional
• 50ml Red Wine Vinegar, or to taste, optional
• Meatballs:
• 500g Beef, minced, not lean
• 500g Pork, minced
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 100g Pecorino Romano Cheese, finely grated
• 2 tsp Salt, or to taste
• 1-2 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste
• 1 tbsp Garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Italian Herbs Blend
• 2/3 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
• 180ml Whole Milk

Method

1. For the sauce:
2. In a very large pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until translucent. If you are using sausage in your sauce, you will also brown it with the onion, breaking it into crunbs with the back of a spoon. Stir in minced garlic, cooking just until fragrant.
3. Turn heat down to medium-low and add crushed tomatoes, stirring well. Stir in herbs, salt, pepper and sugar. Allow mixture to become very hot, but not boiling. Finally, add the red wine vinegar if using.
4. Turn heat to low and simmer for 1-2 hours. The longer you simmer the better the flavour, but you need at least 1 hour. Be sure to stir frequently to ensure the bottom of the sauce will not stick and burn.
5. For baking meatballs:
6. Preheat oven to 200degC. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease well with cooking spray. Set aside.
7. In a large bowl, add minced meats, egg yolks, grated cheese and all herbs/spices.
8. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs and milk into a paste. Add to meat mixture and mix until evenly distributed and fully incorporated. Add more milk as needed to create a wet and soft texture. You do not want the mixture to be sopping wet, but wet enough to create soft and tender meatballs.
9. Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, portion out 1-2 tablespoons of meat and roll into balls. You should end up with about 20 or so. Place on prepared baking sheet 1-2cm apart.
10. Bake for about 20 minutes, flipping them halfway through to brown both sides. Turn oven to grill and broil for 3-5 minutes, if desired. If you are finishing them off in the sauce, you just want to sear the outside. They do not need to be fully cooked in the center. If you are serving them without sauce, cook them a little longer so they are cooked throughout. Before serving, be sure the meatballs have cooked to an internal temperature of 71degC.
11. Serve on spaghetti, smothered in the sauce and topped with shaved Pecorino Romano cheese.