italian mood

during my undergrad years, i spent a semester in florence, italy. four months of divine food, all the art museums and history i could want, and weekend visits to different countries and cities via the eurotrain that left a lasting impression. there are days, now, when i smell something and it reminds me of florence and i switch to italian mood, turn on some opera, and make spaghetti and meatballs. i know, not the most authentic, but my kids love it and i love making it. something about squishing the meat together and the repetitive, rhythmic motions of rolling the meatballs that makes me feel...homey. suddenly, i'm back in my apartment in florence, with the cold ceramic tiles under my feet, the balcony doors open to the backyard, and the constant chatter of italian, be it in the form of conversation or song, as background music. 

my kids love these meatballs. when the meatballs are in baking in the oven, they'll all come into the kitchen, sniffing, asking what the "yummy smell is." once the meatballs are baked, i add them to my homemade marinara sauce. serve over spaghetti, linguini, or penne rigate, or rotini- any pasta that can handle the heft and weight of a meatball- this meal is one of my family's favorites.

mama maggie's mini meatballs

2 trays of your favorite ground meat- i use a combination of lean veal, beef, and pork. 

1 1/2 cups of homemade seasoned breadcrumbs- see recipe below

1/2 onion- finely minced

3/4 cup of milk

1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

2 1/2 tsp of your favorite herbs- i stick with my classic basil and oregano combo

salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

2 eggs

double the amount of my homemade marinara sauce- recipe here

preheat oven to 425⁰F, if you're using a convection oven, lower the temperature to 400. 

combine everything into a large mixing bowl and season well. form into mini meatballs, about 1 tablespoon of mixture, and place onto a nonstick baking sheet.

bake for 18- 20 minutes, until the meatballs are a beautifully browned. allow to cool and add to marinara sauce. 

serve with pasta and lots of parmesan cheese and say to yourself "tutti e va bene"- it's all good in italian. buon appetito, miei amici!

for breadcrumbs

six slices of favorite bread

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/4 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

preheat oven to 425⁰F. mix the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together. place bread onto a nonstick baking sheet and brush each slice with oil mixture. bake for 5-8 minutes, until bread is golden brown. allow to cool before putting the bread into a food processer and blitz bread into desired size. 

until next post- maggie