Nonna’s Meatballs

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/4 cup Aleia’s breadcrumbs (we have used Aleia’s plain and Italian for this!)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and incorporate well. If too wet, add a little more Parmigiano and breadcrumbs. Mixture should be moist but hold together. Form meatballs and set aside.
2. Coat the bottom of a skillet with extra virgin olive oil. When the oil gets hot, add the meatballs, turning as they fry and become golden on the outside. Remove to a plate with a paper towel (to absorb any dripping oil).

Variation: Nonna used to make the meatballs on the small side (about 1 1/2-inch balls), fry them on all sides ’til golden, then finish cooking them in tomato sauce. The meatballs are super moist and tender this way, and you can eat them with pasta, in a grinder, or just ladled onto a plate. Totally delicious!

Take a couple of cans of imported Italian tomatoes and put them through a food mill into a large saucepan. Add some extra virgin olive oil and a couple of basil leaves. Simmer. As the small/medium meatballs come out of the frying pan, drop them in the sauce. When the sauce reduces and thickens to a consistency you like, turn it off. The meatballs will be juicy and your sauce perfect and flavorful!