Grandma's Meatballs

Attempting in Grandma's kitchen

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time at my grandparents house. There was always someone sitting around the kitchen table telling a story, a handful of cousins wreaking havoc around the house, and something delicious simmering on the stove. This is without a doubt, where I learned to love cooking. 

My Grandpa would always answer the door the same way, "we don't want any". I would of course laugh, knowing they had bought their fair share of Girl Scout Cookies, wrapping paper, magazines, and whatever else I was peddling that month. My Grandma on the other hand would greet you in one of two ways. The first was a big hug, seeing how far around her arms could reach, and she would say, "you look hungry, let me make you something". The second was a big hug and, "you look healthy". The dreaded words out of Grandma's mouth. Instead of meatballs, you would get a bowl of her homemade, low calorie zucchini soup. What did you think you were going to leave without eating anything? There was always a batch ready in the freezer, because as our family likes to joke, when someone loses the weight, it just means someone else gained it. 

Lucky for you, today I'm sharing the meatball recipe. Hungry or healthy, making these brings me right back to her kitchen. And while I will never make them as good as my Grandma, I will keep trying until I come close! 


Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground veal

1/2 pound ground pork

1 pound ground beef

4 slices of fresh white bread crumbs, crusts removed

1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

1/4 minced yellow onion

1/2 bunch chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 cloves of garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup of milk

2 whole eggs, beaten

Vegetable oil

Olive oil

Directions:

Soak the fresh bread crumbs in milk. Combine with the ground meats, seasoned dry bread crumbs, onion, parsley, garlic, parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Mix it all up with your hands. Lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs.  Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.