Entrees › Spaghetti & Meatballs

The Meat

• 3 lbs ground beef
• 1 lb ground veal (make it 4 lbs of beef if you don’t eat veal).  Allow meat to drain if necessary but keep cold (makes it easier to roll later)

Herb Bouquet

• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 sprig sage
• tie them all well with butcher’s twine

Vegetable Mixture

• ½ white onion, chopped
• ¼ celery stalk, rinsed and chopped
• ½ carrot (medium size), peeled and chopped
• ½ cup leeks, washed and chopped
• ¼ head fennel, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced (you can tone this one down if you don’t like garlic)
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• herb bouquet
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• ⅓ cup dry white wine

Breadcrumbs

• 1 cup breadcrumbs, finely ground.
• about ¾ cup milk (just enough to wet the crumbs)

The Rest

• 4 eggs, cracked and beaten
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated (plus extra for sprinkling on finished dish)
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• salt & pepper to taste

Your favorite Marinara sauce (homemade or store bought)

Prepare Vegetables

1. Place all the veggies in a food processor and pulse until quite fine
2. Place olive oil, veggies, salt, chili flakes and herb bouquet in a pot over medium heat, sweat for 10 minutes, stirring as necessary. Try not to brown the veggies
3. Deglaze pan with white wine. Be sure to try the wine before using it just to make sure it’s good. Cook until wine has almost completely evaporated, remove bouquet and let cool

Mix Breadcrumbs

1. Mix 1 cup breadcrumbs, finely ground with about ¾ cups milk (just enough to wet the crumbs) with your hands until all the crumbs are somewhat moist
2. Set aside

To Finish

1. In a big bowl or mixer with the paddle attachment on, combine meat, veggie mix, breadcrumbs, and "the rest" on low setting.  Or mix with your hands until well incorporated.  Try not to over-mix or it will make your meatballs heavy
2. Roll into whatever size you like (Chef Maxwell makes them nice & big, about the size of a tennis ball).  Roast them at 475 degrees for 7-8 minutes, then finish them in marinara sauce for an additional 10 minutes. Or you can also skip the roasting and cook them for hours in the sauce itself
3. Serve with your favorite pasta, grated Parmesan, a sprinkle of chopped parsley and olive oil

Buon Appetito!