Meatballs are a hearty dish for a late-winter dinner
After the Mona Lisa, Italy's most beloved and enduring gift to world culture might be the meatball. But talk to any two Italian cooks about which ingredients actually comprise a meatball and you're going to get an argument. Fine. I took this contentiousness as a license to concoct a meatball recipe of my own using the best tips from Italian friends and colleagues.
Let's start with the meat in this meatball. Ideally, it should be an equal mix of beef, pork and veal, allowing each one to contribute its own unique flavor and texture. If you can't find ground veal at your supermarket, opt for the meatloaf mix, which contains all three meats. If there's no ground veal and no meatloaf mix, you'll be fine with half pork and half beef.
To amp up the flavor to an even higher level, I've prescribed several umami bombs: prosciutto, Parmigiano-Reggiano and tomato paste. And of course, minced garlic.
Tradition requires meatballs to be cooked well done, which can make them dry. Accordingly, I've combined the meat mixture with a panade. Panade, a paste made of bread crumbs soaked in milk, keeps the meat juicy as the meatballs cook.
Of course, when you make meatballs, you want them to retain their shape. A raw egg helps to bind the ingredients, but you also want to be sure to mix them rigorously, either in a stand mixer or with your hands. Refrigerating the meatballs for 30 minutes before sauteing them also helps.
The finishing touch is to simmer the meatballs in the tomato sauce. This process allows for an exchange of flavors. Indeed, I think of it as a marriage. Both the meatballs and the sauce benefit greatly.
This hearty dish is tailor-made for a blustery late-winter dinner. There won't be much argument at the table about its deliciousness.
• Sara Moulton is host of public television's "Sara's Weeknight Meals." She was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows, including "Cooking Live." Her latest cookbook is "Home Cooking 101."