Meatball Factory

When I take the time to make a batch of meatballs....I make a batch of meatballs! This recipe is easy, and freezes well. You can just pull out any number of individually frozen meatballs for use in later dishes. These lend themselves nicely to add to your favorite pasta sauce, slow cooker with honey garlic sauce. Or if you are really on the fly add to your boiling pasta water when your water boils again add pasta, cook strain and add ready made sauce.

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Yields: 140 meatballs

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1  cup  minced onion
• 6  garlic cloves
• 3  tablespoons fresh thyme (approx. I usually just use 6 sprigs)
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh oregano
• 3  tablespoons  chopped fresh basil
• 1⁄2 cup  minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
• 1  tablespoon black pepper
• 1  teaspoon  according to taste cayenne pepper
• 8  eggs
• 2  tablespoons sea salt (or to taste)
• 1  cup milk (plus more) or 1  cup water (plus more) or 1  cup  stock (plus more)
• 3  lbs  extra lean ground beef
• 3  lbs  ground lean pork
• 6  cups  fresh breadcrumbs
• 1  cup  grated romano cheese

Directions

1. In a skillet, heat oil and saute onions till soft and starting to carmelize. Add garlic, reduce heat and continue cooking until garlic is soft (mushy). Remove from heat and add rest of seasinings, allow to cool, refrigerate. (this may be done the day before, to allow the flavors to marry).
2. Puree cooled seasonings mixture with blender (I use hand held variety), adding eggs, salt and 1c. liquid (milk, water or stock).
3. In a large mixing bowl (or even your turkey roaster) blend together beef and pork adding breadcrumbs and romano cheese. Add seasoned egg miture mix well. (generally for this step I remove watch, scrub up to the elbows and knead using my hands) You should also work fast as to not allow your meat to spoil. If mixture seems dry or is hard to mix add more liguid, a bit at a time.
4. Return meat to refrigerator if its warming up too much.
5. Set a large stock pot 3/4 full of water on to Boil. Once this is at a rolling boil you may add your batches of meatballs.
6. Start rolling like a mad person! Here I generally flatten out a large (1/4 of the batch) approx 15"x15" square about 1.5" thick then cut 1.5" strips then go crosswise cutting into 1.5" squares. This ensures same sized meatballs and they're much quicker to grab and roll.
7. Carefully drop rolled meatballs into boiling water. They will come to the surface in approximately 7-8 minutes allow then to boil for 5 minutes longer.
8. Remove from pot with large slotted spoon and place on tray (cookie sheet also works) to cool. As the meatballs cool, they turn brown as of baked or fried (yet they remain soft and moist).
9. Keep doing this until all your meatballs are cooked and cooled.
10. (Do NOT throw away that yucky water! As I usually have a bunch of little helpers with me in the kitchen, their favorite treat comes next. The last batch of meatballs rolled are mini ones. The Fat is skimmed from the water (which is now a broth of sorts) veggies and acini de pepe (small pasta)along with the mini meatballs are added a bit of fresh parsley. And Voila - "Meatball Soup")
11. Set Trays in Freezer, and allow meatballs to freeze for a couple of hours.
12. Remove. Tap trays to loosen meatballs. Package in ziplock storage bags. And return to freezer.