The quest for the Ultimate Meatball has been accomplished: All in preparation for the Sunday Supper Smackdown with That Jew Can Cook!
Just look at that meatball! Succulent and savory and lean and fatty and bursting with a serious umami hit. This is one serious bite of flavour.
This was no simple undertaking. But, it wasn’t difficult, either. Finding good veal in our city is difficult. I hadn’t planned this part well, so bought two spermarket packages of veal to grind on my own. It is unfortunate that I don’t have a butcher that I can count on to access good veal on a whim. It needs to be ordered well in advance.
Fortunately, I have my 2000 year old grinder that I use when making ajvar every year, so grinding my own was not a problem. Anything this basic in food preparation provides me with an intrinsic hit of self satisfaction and independence.
I have my extra fatty pork ordered from Irving’s Farm Fresh (City Market and OSFM), and my ground beef from Jerry Kitt’s First Nature Farm booth at the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market added to the veal.
Look at all that Alberta farm raised goodness! And then, the seasonings!
Yes! This is what it takes to make the ULTIMATE meatball. Excellent ingredients: cracker crumbs, freshly grated cheese, onions, garlic, eggs, milk and a great combination of herbs and spices.
Freshly chopped flat leafed parsley, freshly grated Parmesan, finely chopped onions and finely crushed soda crackers.
Soda water does make a difference. The meatball bursts savoury juicy goodness inside of your mouth when you bite into one if soda water is used.
Did you get all of that? Here is my palate in a bowl.
I used to make them smaller, but after all of my trips to Italy, I have learned that the only small meatballs are the ones we make in North America. These are probably still small to most Italian areas, but they are a very substantial size.
Half went into the oven for this evening meal, and the other half onto cookie sheets to be flash frozen (as close as possible to this in a home freezer) and then packaged into freezer bags for the Sunday Sauce.
While they are cooking, out come the knives and cutting boards to make my basic tomato sauce.
The meatballs simmer in it until it is thick and lush. The water is put on for the pasta, and voilá: The Ultimate Meatball!
Toss the sauce with the pasta, sprinkle generously with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and dive in!
The Ultimate Meatball
This is an ACF Original Recipe. I have challenged myself to work through tasting many balls to arrive at this Ultimate Meatball Recipe. It is everything a meatball should be. Bold. Flavourful. Unforgettable and most of all: second to none. See for yourself!
Ingredients
- 800 g ground beef
- 800 g ground pork
- 800 g ground veal
- 1 1/2 cups finely minced onion
- 1/4 cup minced garlic
- 1 package Saltines or salted soda crackers , crushed finely
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano , finely grated
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leafed parsley
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons (start with 1) freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoons Vegeta
- 3 tablespoons oregano leaves
- 3 tablespoons basil leaves
- 6 large eggs , whisked well
- 1 cup soda water or Club Soda
- 1 cup whole milk
Instructions
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Mix all ingredients, except eggs, club soda and milk, until well combined
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Add eggs, club soda and milk; gently mix all ingredients to combine
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Let mixture rest for 30 minutes (at this time, the crumbs will absorb the liquids)
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Roll into larger main course sized balls (about an inch and half in diameter) and place on parchment covered baking sheet
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Freeze individually, and then remove and repackage in labelled and dated freezer container until ready to use, or...
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Bake on cookie sheet at 400ºF for 18-22 minutes, or until brown, or...
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Gently brown all sides in frying pan with a little oil; simmer in choice of sauce until done
Recipe Notes
If you are looking for "The Ultimate Generic Meatball" leave out the herbs and cheese. The combination of fatty meats with onions, garlic, salt, pepper and cracker crumbs is sheer perfection - but on a totally different playing field.
The meatballs can also be poached in the sauce instead of cooked in the oven first. The flavour is the same, but the texture is completely different as there is no outer skin on the poached meatballs. Both ways are delicious.
Beavie did! YUM!
SO, I always wondered how I would look with long hair. What do you think? Does it suit me? (Isn’t this Beavie abuse?)
And my two favourite Vanja’s are just looking at me, not with amusement, but with the most sensitive empathy. “She really needs to stop taking her food writing so seriously.”
Hi Valerie! Congratulations on making the perfect meatball! It looks packed with flavour. Can I ask you, I have been thinking of getting my own mincer – is it worth it? I normally can find mince in the grocery or the butcher, but does it make a difference to do your own mince?
Trissa,
It absolutely makes a difference to grind your own meat. I usually do NOT do it, as I work at teaching full time. But, whenever I have the time and want really great flavour, it is the only way to go… and it didn’t take me long with my grinder. They are not expensive. They can be, but there is no point in buying an expensive one unless you have a huge family and plan on doing it all of the time. It is essential for making ajvar, and makes a huge difference to that recipe!
🙂
Valerie
Those are some serious spaghetti and meatballs Valerie. When I lived in Calgary in the 80’s at the insurance company at the Stockyards Building I used to get my meat very inexpensively as you can imagine. We even had a client who butchered and ground our meat in his small shop.
That you ground your own meat, chose your own mixture makes your meatballs superior. Once you know what flavours each meat brings, you can make them super delish. Well done!
I am very sure that my husband will love this! I usually get the mincemeat from the supermarkets as I really don’t like to clean the mincer..;=)
Great meatballs! It is a lot of work so may as well make a big batch! I bet they freeze well.
That looks delish Val, I never thought of mixing the meats for meatballs (what a mistake), but I will next time.
I second that the quality of the grinder doesn’t matter, it’s the quality of the meat you grind that infuses the flavor. When you buy ground meat from the store, you have no control over the cuts used (fatty, tough, may have cartilage, etc.)
By the way, if you take a few ingredients out of these fantastic meatballs, you are ready to make “Mititei” – remember them? Thank you for sharing.
Wow Valerie! That looks delicious even for someone who doesn’t eat much meat like me. I know my hubby would be drooling over this one! And where in the world did you find such a huge bowl to put all those ingredients in? Lol. I seriously stared at that picture of the bowl with all the ingredients for a good minute. I can just smell the deliciousness from your pictures. My stomach is growling, time for breakfast. Beavie actually looks good with long hair…teehee. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. Have a lovely weekend Valerie!
Wow, you can certainly give that guy a run for his money during the smackdown 🙂
I do think my secret weapon is the fennel seeds in my gravy though 🙂
How do we pull this off, can we fedex each other some meatballs?
–Andy
The recipe looks perfect. Parsley is key. Can’t wait to make them.
I think Beavie looks fab with blonde locks!!
You have inspired me Valerie!!! I need to make some homemade veggie meatballs. Store bought are not so yummy.
I wish there was more time in the day – or I was independently wealthy!!!!
Oh My goodness! Look at Beavie going at it! LOL, that was so funny and cute!! You can tell these meatballs are majorly awesome. Loads of fabulous ingredients. Now I want meatballs, but its bed time LOL.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
*kisses* HH
I think they are not thinking that at all. I think they are saying “thank goodness for her food writing or else we would starve, WOW this woman can cook”..
Wow! That looks like a serious meatball!
I guess it really helps to have a grinder. I remember my parents having one in the 70’s but it eventually fell out of use and rusted.
I’ve ground meat in the food processor before, but it’s not the same, it comes out a bit rubbery with a processed weird processed texture, so I mix by hand now, but it is difficult to get really good quality mince.
In answer to your questions on my last post, yes, I normally cook for me and my partner but that particular one was a single portion since she was out that evening.
And yes, I’m currently playing keyboards in George’s band.
soda water! that sounds so brilliant i can’t wait to try it. it’s kinda been meatball weather lately anyway.
I want a bite! Great site!
Wow! These look really good! definitely better than any meatballs I’ve had- and I just LOVE the size of them! I’m definitely trying the recipe when I have the time =]
If anyone is wondering how tasty these would be using ground turkey instead of red meat, let me assure you – THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
I didn’t see a measurement for garlic or onion, so I used 3 large cloves and half a medium onion and it worked out great!
Now, on to the sous vide ribs…
Thank you, Jim!
What a great idea!
I do often use turkey in meatballs and love ground turkey in my giant pasta shells.
🙂
V
Hi Valerie
Can you please confirm, when you say ‘1 package Saltines’, does that mean 1 small pack with 4 crackers inside, or a full box of Saltines? After having many Americans/Canadians as friends I have learnt that there are large differences in the language that we use and wanted to be sure.
Many thanks, Lea
Hi Lea,
I buy my saltines in big boxes and inside there are long “sleeves” of square saltines. I use one of those. There are about 40 crackers in each.
🙂
Valerie