That's-A Not A Spicy Meatball

If I hadn't been born Southern, I'd have been Italian. I'm sure of it, because if there's anything I like as much as a big crispy chicken breast Southern fried in bacon drippings, it's a nice juicy meatball, drenched in a velvety rich tomato sauce, and served over a mound of fresh pasta. (OK, even dried pasta out of the box will do. I'm not that particular.)

My introduction to meatballs was inauspicious, and, probably not unlike yours, (unless you really were Italian), they came out of a can courtesy of Chef Boyardee. That gelatinous mass of thick white worms of soft spaghetti, sprinkled with marble sized balls of mystery meat and held together with an anemic pink ketchup-like goo, could hardly be properly called food, much less Italian, but I loved it, even craved it. I snuck extra cans of it into my Mother's shopping cart, begged to have it for dinner instead of whatever "they" were eating, and had been known to eat it straight out of the can with a spoon.

The chef who likewise corrupted the taste buds of many of my young contemporaries actually was a real chef. That would be one Ettore "Hector" Boiardi, Italian immigrant and great American success story, who changed his name to match its phonetic spelling somewhere on his way up the culinary ladder so it would be easier for his American customers to pronounce. He died in 1985, but his legacy of bad taste lives on in the mouths of meatball addicts everywhere.

There is, however, hope. A real meatball is a wonderous thing, and once you taste one, you'll never go back. This is my recipe for real meatballs.

It's not-a spicy meatball, (Who can ever forget that unfortunate Alka Seltzer commercial from the 60's that further sullied the meatball brand and Italian cooking in general?), but rather a Sicilian style meatball, studded with pine nuts and currants and subtly flavored with marjoram and fresh parsley. It's a Sopranos kind of meatball. (You just knew I had to have been a fan, didn't you?). The kind of meatball I like to think Paulie Walnuts' mother cooked when he came home for dinner, or that Arte Bucco served up to the crew at Nuovo Vesuvio, which, by the way is where Tony should've been that ill-fated night in June of 2007, instead of making himself an easy target, eating fries in some burger joint, and getting himself whacked. (I know, I was in denial too for a very long time, but, let's face it, Tony bought the farm and he ain't coming back.)

As for the "gravy," as Paulie would've called it, if you live in Los Angeles just head over to Al Gelato in Beverly Hills, which makes it better and quicker than most of us ever could. But, if forced or inclined to make your own, (for God's sake don't use that stuff out of a jar from the supermarket), I've also included a really good, simple, basic tomato sauce recipe that's perfect with meatballs, and a lot of other pasta dishes too.

This recipe will serve 8. For smaller families or couples, you can easily freeze half of the meat balls, after cooking, with or without the sauce, for another meal.


EASY, BASIC TOMATO SAUCE

2 28-ounce cans peeled Italian tomatoes, crushed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour tomatoes into a large enameled cast-iron casserole or a large dutch oven and crush. (Use an immersion blender if you have one.) Add olive oil and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. While sauce simmers make meatballs.


SICILIAN-STYLE MEATBALLS

4 slices white sandwich bead
4 large eggs, beaten
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon marjoram (dried or fresh)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds lean ground beef (chuck preferred)
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 cup (or less) vegetable oil, for frying (I use Peanut oil, Canola is also a good choice)

Soak the bread in a bowl of water until saturated. Squeeze out the water and transfer bread to a large bowl. Mash the bread to a paste and stir in the beaten eggs, pressed garlic, chopped parsley, marjoram, salt and pepper. Mash mixture until as smooth as possible.

Add ground chuck to the bowl along with currants, pine nuts and cheese, and mix, with hands, until thoroughly combined.

Add the bread crumbs and knead until the mixture is firm enough to roll.

Form the mixture into about 40 meatballs, (about 3 tablespoons each), taking care to tuck in pine nuts and currants as you go.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. (I usually start with 1/2 cup oil and add more only if necessary to cover the bottom of the skillet. Remember, you're frying them, not drowning them in hot oil.) Add meatballs in 2 batches and fry over moderate heat, turning, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate covered with paper towels and drain.

Add meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve with pasta, (al dente, please), and top with additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese.