Calabrese Meatballs

Here's the meatballs that go with the Calabrese Sauce which is posted below. They are the most delicious meatballs I've ever had. Again, my parents brought back these recipes from some vacation they were on.

At the beginning of the recipe there is this story:

This famous meatball recipe is my father's. He was the cook for almost all the Italian weddings when we lived in Schreiber. His tomato sauce and meatballs were the talk of the town. The amazing thing about my father's meatballs is the fact that the meatballs go directly into the sauce to cook - no frying, baking, etc. Once you have tried these meatballs you will not settle for any other. This recipe is my pride and joy. The secret to the moistness of the meatballs is in the ricotta cheese. You may choose to mix half pork and half beef, but the pork tastes the best. Make these and enjoy!

I wish I knew who wrote this all out so I could credit them for what is indeed the beat sauce and meatballs I've ever had!

Ingredients:

3 lbs pork (I used 1lb organic pork and 2 lbs grass fed beef from the big island)
3/4 cuo Romano cheese grated (I didn't have romano, I used parmesean)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs, moistened with
1/3 cup water
3 eggs whisked
fresh basil approx. 6-10 leaves (I like to use more)
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:


Mix all ingredients together.



I did all the mixing by hand, using finger cots to keep the raw meat from getting underneath my fingernails. This was the first time I actualy remembered to try this and it was wonderful. Make sure that all ingredients are well mixed.

In mixing the meatballs, make sure they are not too stiff, but rather medium soft and about the size of a gold ball or even slightly bigger (Mine were about the size of raquetballs). A rule to follow is always make one meatball to see if it holds together but is not as hard as a ball. If the mixture is too soft, add some more grated cheese and breadcrumbs. If the mixture is too hard, add another egg and perhaps 1/4 cup of water. I had none of these issues, but would like to add that as with the Calabrese sauce (and in general everything you're cooking), the quality of your ingredients is a large factor in the quality of the finished product. Spending a little extra for the organic ricotta, eggs, and meat was well worth it for this recipe.


Drop the meatballs into the ready Calabrese tomato sauce. Make sure the sauce is not too thick. If ti is, then add 2 cups (I added about 3 I think) of water before you add the meatballs. In this way, the meatballs will be able to float easier. I also needed the extra volume of sauce to ensure that all the meatballs were covered by enough sauce and so that I could definitively say when they were floating.

When the meatballs float to the top of the sauce, they are ready to eat.

Yum!