Friday, September 14, 2012

David Rocco's Favorite Meatballs


From David Rocco's Made in Italy

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes or so
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1lb/450g extra lean ground beef
3 1/2 oz/100g fresh ricotta cheese
10 sun dried tomatoes finely chopped
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste (I left the salt out completely)
Flour for dredging ( a couple of tablespoons)
Wine Sauce:
4 tbsp  extra-virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
5 sun dried tomatoes, halved
1 cup white wine

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, ricotta, sun dried tomates, Parmigiano and Salt and pepper.  Mix well (David and I use our hands... you might prefer a spoon, but I love the feel of it all as it mixes together).

2. Make golf ball size patties and gently flatten them so they cook evenly.  To help form a "beautiful crust" lightly dredge with flour shaking off any excess.   Set aside.

3. In a large skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil and when it's very hot, add the meatballs.  (David adds the garlic and sun dried tomatoes at the same time, but I wait until I flip the patties so that the garlic and tomatoes don't burn.)  Once the meatballs are golden on both sides, add the wine  and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to medium and let it cook for five more minutes or until the sauce  to about 1/3rd and forms a thick sauce.
The meatballs would be great served as a stew, with creamy mashed potatoes, or as I did with a simple pasta.  

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