A Meatball Is Not Just a Meatball

Directions

• MEATBALLS
• In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock, garlic, eggs, 3 Tbl parsley, 3 Tbl basil, salt, and pepper.
• Mix well
• Add to the bowl the beef and 1 cup of shredded cheese. Mix well with your hands, but do not overwork the meat mixture. This will make the meatballs tough if you do.
• Refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour to allow it to set. Now, let’s make some meatballs
• Lightly drizzle some olive oil on a regular-sized baking tray. In making the meatballs, you have a couple of options. You can use your favorite ice cream scoop; dive in, grab a full scoop of meat; lightly roll into a ball, and place onto a tray. I tend to want a larger style meatball, so I grab a handful of meat and lightly roll my meatball. Again, try not to overwork the meat as you roll into a ball.
• Roll out meatballs and place them evenly on your tray. Depending on size, you should get approximately 12 meatballs.
• Pour the remaining chicken stock into the baking tray. Turn oven to 400° and bake until nicely browned. Approximately 20-30 minutes. Do not overcook the meatballs, because they will cook some more if you like to cook them an additional amount of time in your marinara sauce.
• When finished cooking to a nice crisp on the outside, take the tray out of the oven and let it cool.
• NINA’S SAUCE
• Pour olive oil into a cold pan and turn to medium heat. Add garlic and stir. Garlic can easily burn if you are not watching, so keep an eye on the pan. Keep on heat till aromatic. Add onions and stir. Cook onions and garlic until onions are nicely caramelized.
• Put tomatoes into a small stockpot. Turn the stove on to simmer. Add onions and garlic to the pot and stir.
• Add salt, pepper, basil, and stir.
• This sauce is a light marinara so no need to cook all day. However, a minimum cook for an hour would be suggested.
• If the sauce is too bitter and you want to add sweetness, add the baking soda. If still not sweet enough, add a tiny bit more baking soda. This absolutely works! (I’m told this is a secret, so don’t let Nina know I told you!)
• BREAD CRUMBS
• Dry the bread the night before in the oven under your lowest heat to remove the moisture. Take bread and put it into a food processor. Process until you obtain a fine crumb.
• Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
• You will not need all the breadcrumbs.

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• PRESENTATION
• These meatballs are great by themselves; serve with your favorite pasta, or use in a meatball sandwich/slider. Check here if you would like to see my recipe for my Rosemary Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread to use for your slider roll!

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• If serving as a side dish, place a couple of meatballs on a dish. Pour a little of the marinara over the meatballs and top with some chopped basil and shredded romano cheese.
  
  Enjoy!!