Meatball Mini-Madness

When a pal asks, I try to help if I can. And Kirsten asked for a meatball recipe. I hadn't forgotten about my promised "meatball madness", but with Sunni's Salon due out this week I hadn't planned to have time to devote to it. She says she wants Italian-style meatballs, which is easy enough. No rice in 'em -- ditto that. And nicely spiced. Heh. I could make your head spin with options, but I'm feeling nice this morning so I won't.

My meatballs also don't have bread crumbs in them, so they're suitable for those on gluten-free or low-carb diets. If you're interested in the short version of meatball madness, read on; the full version, with my family's recipe for Swedish meatballs, will come later.

Italian Meatballs

1 pound ground beef, at room temp.
1-2 links Italian sausage (whatever kind you prefer), OR 1/2-1 pound ground pork, at room temp.
1 small to medium-sized onion, minced
1 egg
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
1/2-1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2-1 tsp. dried Italian oregano
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/4-1/2 tsp. dried or fresh basil (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
ricotta cheese
1-3 Tbsp. olive oil, for frying the meatballs

Place ground beef in mixing bowl, crumbling it a bit as you do. If using sausage, slip it out of casing and divide into small pieces atop beef. If using pork, crumble it over the beef. Add onion and egg; mix roughly (I prefer to use my hand so I can feel how well the ingredients are blended). Add spices, including salt and pepper, and mix roughly to begin to distribute them. Spoon in 1/3 or so cup of ricotta cheese and mix thoroughly. Add more ricotta, if needed, until mixture looks pinkish (kind of like that ham salad stuff delis used to sell). Mixture should be fairly cohesive; if it seems too dry, add another egg and mix well. Form meatballs into the desired size.

Heat skillet and oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, drop several meatballs into the oil. Do not crowd the meatballs. Turn occasionally to brown all sides, but do not overcook them. (The time it takes to cook meatballs through depends on the heat level, and their size. If you're going to simmer the meatballs in a sauce after frying, they can be less done here, because they can finish cooking in the sauce.) Meatballs should be juicy when they're done; while the outside should be nicely browned, they should have a little give -- like a not fully erect penis, somewhat firm but slightly squishy. If necessary, turn heat down a bit to keep them from drying out, but do brown the outsides well. Remove from skillet and drain on paper-towel covered plate. If making a sauce for meatballs, they can stay on the plate as you cook them, and then be added to it all at once. If they'll be served separately, move them to a warmed serving dish; keep warm in a 200 F oven.

Notes: How much spice to add depends in part on whether you use Italian sausage, and how spicy it is. I never measure the ingredients for meatballs, so all measures should be considered approximate guides. I do consider using two kinds of meat essential -- it helps avoid that hamburger taste. If you like fennel, or some other spice that's compatible with Italian seasonings, by all means toss some in (Lobo doesn't like it so I don't often use it). If you want spicy meatballs with a bit of heat, grind some red pepper flakes and add along with the spices.
This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd, as long as you've a big enough mixing bowl and ensure that you mix all ingredients well. Since there's no bread in it, overmixing won't necessarily lead to hockey-puck meatballs; but overhandling meat can make it tougher. Using your hands and paying attention to how the mixture feels will help you avoid overmixing.
For a quick tomato-based sauce, saute some chopped onion in olive oil; add minced or pressed fresh garlic in the last minute or two of cooking. When the garlic starts to become fragrant, pour in one or two (or more) 26-ounce cans of diced tomatoes that have been roughly processed in a blender. Add meatballs, spices to compliment those in the meatballs, salt and pepper; turn down the heat and simmer until desired thickness, stirring occasionally. Check and adjust seasonings if necessary while cooking. For greater depth of flavor, add some white or red wine, beef bouillon, and/or vegetable stock to the sauce.