Thread: The Meatball Ratio

At least 2 eggs per lb of beef.

3 will be fine, if you can cut the beef with pork and veal, so much the better .

Garlic, onions, breadcrumbs, parmigian cheese definitely required. BUT don't forget to add one packet of Hawaiian Pure Cain sugar to every lb. of meat, just to make the whole mess meld into pure meatball magic.

Saute for 15 minutes, or until brown, then sink them in pure tomato sauce goodness and continue to cook for 20 minutes.


Arreviderrci!

I don't know about that egg ratio, but tell me you brown yours in a pan before baking!?

That is key, and as Mr. Gyptian noted, the rough chopped basil will knock your socks off. Homemade breadcrumbs just takes it up another notch. I won't say that is quite as important but for the love of god don't use those "italian" pre-seasoned crumbs, WAY to much salt, and poor flavor. I always put some cayenne pepper in mine.

Try ground Turkey. Kinda gay, but suprisingly good.

they brown pretty well in the oven, and since they arent in direct conduction, allow the meat to drain off more fat before they sear shut. (ie im being a bit more health conscious)

i do turkey every now and then for stuff like this or chili or whatever
the 93/7 is definitely too lean though, gotta go lower for stuff like this

if you like cayenne, and like paprika and cumin, try finding some aleppo pepper flakes
ugh i love those things

Originally Posted by pechelman

if you like cayenne, and like paprika and cumin, try finding some aleppo pepper flakes

ooh, will do.

i've been having a lot of fun using HOT Hungarian paprika- this kind:

in lots of our meals lately. adds such a great flavor.

damn this thread makes me wanta da meataball... too bad we just had meatballs on sunday night! will have to wait a few days. the next cooking adventure for me is mega-baking for mother's day brunch on sunday.

i was just talking to cruiser at his place about my love affair with paprika
i think its my favorite spice
ill put it on just about everything its so good.
or just eat it plain
my name is pechelman, and i have a problem




speaking of cooking adventures
tonight was broiled cod loin, over a savory blue cheese cheescake, over a simple spring green salad with a strawberry-balsamic gastrique
damn, i suprised myself!

Originally Posted by SkiBumOfVT

pshhh you guys make meatballs on a cookie sheet?
what amateurs, your supposed to throw them in a crock pot with all your sauce

Huh??? you cook your sauce in a crock pot???

Wow.

Who here is hip to Penzy's spices?

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html

Fresher, cheaper, and far better than spices at your grocery store!

^^^, they're solid. They make a killer pepper mill too.

nyet, I just roll down to my local spice shop

Originally Posted by rideit

Who here is hip to Penzy's spices?

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html

Fresher, cheaper, and far better than spices at your grocery store!

Their Fox Point Seasoning kicks ass on grilled salmon.

What about beating the egg whites stiff and then folding them into the meatball mixture last?

x2 on savory spice shop if you are in denver

stiff eggwhites?
i dont think so, were not going for souffle or mousse here
plus the meat is so heavy it would collapse it in an instant, not to mention that they would probably fall apart when you cook them.

the whole reasoning behind the egg doing what it does is two fold i think
a) lightens up the meat mixture and helps keep it light when it cooks by expanding slightly
b) provides moisture to add breadcrumbs to lighten up the meat mixture

with less egg, you can only add so much bread until it turns to meat with loose breadcrumbs rolling around

I did a quick search for meatballs and egg whites and there are recipes out there. Thought it might be worth a try.

Originally Posted by pechelman

tonight was broiled cod loin, over a savory blue cheese cheescake, over a simple spring green salad with a strawberry-balsamic gastrique

Really? That sounds not terrible. Where'd you get the fish?

yea
when i said i needed to get started on dinner last night, thats what i was getting into
it was very easy to throw together to be honest. start to table in 45mins?

it was actually really good
the cooking time\temp i had for the savory cheesecake was off i think, so it took a good bit longer than anticipated (ie 30 vs 15-20mins) Ended up raising the temp 50 degrees those last 10 minutes as well.

as far as the fish, i really have very little faith in the freshness of the fish at any store here in denver besides something like whole foods or tony's. As such, I save myself the hassel and money and buy those vac sealed flash frozen fishies they have at places like sams. Want to say it was 4lbs for 14$? Very good quality too. wild caught as well (only do wilds myself)

ended up pairing it all with a plum creek palisade rose
yeeeeeeaaaaaa

savory spice shop is also in Boulder, but I have never been.

go
it will blow your mind

go with a list of what you need
its easy to get distracted there

definitely get some grains of paradise (lots of fun uses and a nice sub to pepper), aleppo pepper flakes (use like crushed red pepper), roasted garlic powder(ridiculously amazing), fleur de sel (not salty salt, very flavorful) and some of their paprikas (especially the smoked one...omg)

Originally Posted by MakersTeleMark

Soaked stale bread in milk > breadcrumbs.

And slightly raw potatoes >> bread in any form...

Plus its coeliac friendly...

Originally Posted by pechelman

go
it will blow your mind

go with a list of what you need
its easy to get distracted there

definitely get some grains of paradise (lots of fun uses and a nice sub to pepper), aleppo pepper flakes (use like crushed red pepper), roasted garlic powder(ridiculously amazing), fleur de sel (not salty salt, very flavorful) and some of their paprikas (especially the smoked one...omg)

Does this place let you buy the spices without having to purchase those damn plastic or glass containers that I don't need?

I always feel so wasteful buying spices at the supermarket because of that.

Penzy's offers 2 oz bags, 4 oz bags, and 8 oz bags, (depending on the product) you don't have to buy the jars, but they are available. Many of the spices come in the jars with no extra charge, as far as I can tell.
That place in Den/Boulder sounds very similar. NOTHING improves cooking like fresher ground spices and fresh herbs.
As to distraction, last time I was at Penzy's in W. Hartford, I spent $120!!!
Seriously, check em out online.

hmm i always use just yoke. and i do make some tasty balls.

Originally Posted by mr_gyptian

Boulder hot italian sausage and ground veal.

But then you have baby cow balls.... I like my balls big

Originally Posted by dorikin69

Does this place let you buy the spices without having to purchase those damn plastic or glass containers that I don't need?

I always feel so wasteful buying spices at the supermarket because of that.

yes they do

Originally Posted by Danno

savory spice shop is also in Boulder, but I have never been.

as pman suggested: it will blow your mind. They have so many incredible things there.

also +1 for vanilla beans nomnomnomnom

-1 they also sell dried ghost chilies: am afraid

dorik- and better than renzies, everything's available in 1oz (and sometimes 1/2 oz) or whatever quantity you need.