For all you meatball fans, a couple of bonus recipes, courtesy of I Like Food, Food Tastes Good author Kara Zuaro.
One of my favorite meals to share with hungry touring bands is spaghetti with my Grandma Martha Zuaro's meatballs and sauce. This is so good that whenever my big, loud Italian family sits down to eat it, a quiet falls over the table. Then, Grandma always breaks the silence by asking, "So, how do you like my balls?" Or, if the little cousins aren't around, she'll say, "How do you like my freakin' balls?" See for yourself – but I think they're pretty freakin' delicious.
-Kara Zuaro
Grandma Martha's Freakin' Meatballs
- 1 pound chopped meat (I use 85% lean ground round)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
- 1/2 cup Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, chopped
- 1 packet of onion soup mix
- 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
- 1 capful of Kitchen Bouquet (browning and seasoning sauce)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon basil
- olive oil, for frying
Put all ingredients in a bowl, roll up your sleeves, and mix with your hands. (If you just took the meat out of the fridge, the mixture will be uncomfortably cold. It helps to take breaks and run your hands under warm water.)
When all the ingredients are combined, roll into small, golf ball-sized meatballs, and set aside on a piece of waxed paper or on a cutting board.
Coat the bottom of a pan with olive oil, and place over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs in batches until they are well browned. Don't fill up the pan to tightly – you'll need room to roll the meatballs around so they cook evenly.
You can test for doneness by cutting a meatball in half – if it's not rare inside, it's ready to go.
Drain meatballs on brown paper bags to absorb excess oil, and start making some sauce. My grandma makes her meatballs in the morning, and then simmers them in homemade sauce all day.
Yields 15-18 small meatballs
Grandma Martha's Sauce
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- olive oil
- 4-5 (or more) cloves of garlic, sliced or pressed
- 4 28-oz. cans crushed Red Pack tomatoes (put through the blender for a smoother sauce)
- 4 28-oz. cans of water (measured after you dump out the tomatoes)
- 15-oz. can of tomato sauce
- 1 packet of onion soup mix (mixed with a little hot water to help dissolve it)
- 2 capfuls of gravy master
- salt and pepper
- red wine
- oregano
- basil
- 4 bay leaves
Sauté the onion in some olive oil over medium heat until it's soft and translucent. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two.
Add the tomatoes, water, sauce, onion soup mix, and gravy master. Turn up the heat and bring the sauce to a low simmer.
Add the salt, pepper, red wine, oregano, basil, and bay leaves to taste, and adjust the seasonings as needed as the sauce simmers. Grandma starts early in the morning and lets it simmer all day – the longer it cooks, the better it tastes.
