Served at the 2018 Farmers’ Table Wine Trail
Italian Meatballs
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 pounds ground beef. (half can have ground veal substitute or pork)
2 eggs
1/4 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
Soak bread crumbs in milk in a small bowl for 20 minutes.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onions in hot oil until translucent, about 20 minutes.
Mix beef and pork together in a large bowl. Stir onions, breadcrumb mixture, eggs, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian herb seasoning, and Parmesan cheese into meat mixture with a rubber spatula until combined. Cover and refrigerate for about one hour.
Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Using wet hands, form meat mixture into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Arrange onto a prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until browned and cooked through 15 to 20 minutes.
San Marzano Tomato Sauce
Sauté in saucepan 1 minced onion and 3 smashed cloves of garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Deglaze pan with a half cup of Robller Chambourcin and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Add 2 (#303) cans of San Marzano tomatoes, 4 large roasted red peppers, 1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper, 1 tsp kosher salt. Simmer for 40 minutes. In last 5 minutes add 1 tsp sugar and a half cup of fresh basil. Finish sauce by using the immersion blender just before serving. This will incorporate all of the ingredients.
Place meatballs in sauce 5 minutes before serving. Serve on a plate with sauce and crostini sprinkle with grated parmesan. Polenta or Pasta can be added.
Serve with Robller Chambourcin or Villa Rouge
