Mamma Mia Meatballs

The odd jacket our meatball wears is farm cheese - I accidentally grabbed instead of burrata... Oops!

There were so many potentially wrong titles for this post; consider yourself lucky I spared you punny commentary involving large balls. You're welcome! Now, on to the post.

These aren't your mother's meatballs. Heck, they're not even MY mother's meatballs. They are, in fact, Alessandro Pirozzi's Mother's Meatballs and a fantastic appetizer at his Cucina Alessa restaurants in Newport, Huntington and Laguna Beach. They are also love at first bite for any carnivorous lover of Southern Italian fare! We aren't frequent meat-eaters, so when the inner predator stirs, we make it count! A tender, melt-in-your-mouth blend of ground veal and spicy Italian sausage, topped with creamy burrata, all dressed in a simple homemade marinara take this iconic dish to new heights of deliciousness.

The best part about these meatballs? They are even better when simmered straight from the freezer! Split one as an appetizer or serve with a few twirls of pasta and a side salad for a complete meal. Mangia!

Makes 6-8 really large meatballs


INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
• 1/2 c red wine
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 4 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1-2 tsp red chili flakes
• 1 tsp salt

• 2/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 large egg
• 3 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 hot Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1 lb ground veal or ground pork

DIRECTIONS:

1. Begin the sauce by heating 2 Tbsp olive oil in large pot over medium heat. 
2. Add onion and garlic and saute until golden and fragrant about 5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, wine and tomato paste. Reduce to medium-low and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes. 
4. Stir in salt, chili flakes, basil and parsley. Simmer 10 minutes - until meatballs are ready.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil baking sheet. 
6. Mix crumbs and milk in medium bowl; let stand 5 minutes. 
7. Mix in Parmesan, onion, basil, egg, garlic and pepper. 
8. Add sausage, ground meat; blend well. 
9. Using wet hands, form mixture into 3-inch balls. Place on baking sheet (freeze balls on parchment lined sheet that you're not eating, then transfer to ziplock bag). 
10. Bake until meatballs are light brown and cooked through, about 30 minutes, turning once. 
11. Add to sauce. Simmer, covered, 1 hr until tender, spooning sauce over and turning occasionally.
12. Serve in shallow bowls or over pasta for a more filling meal. Top with burrata or parmesan.
13. Freeze extra sauce in portions in sandwich bags.

• To reheat frozen meatballs: thaw sauce in pot. Add meatballs. Simmer over medium heat 1-1.5 hours. Test for doneness by cutting one open. Serve!
• Freezer Tip: We freeze leftover wine (or wine we didn't particularly like) for cooking later! We also freeze extra lemon juice, lime juice and tomato paste (separated into tablespoons) for handy use.

Roasted Garlic & Sweet Potato Soup

Simple. Delicious. Packed full of vitamins and minerals! What more could you ask for?! I've had a number of people ask me how to roast garlic and it always blows my mind. It's something I take for granted. Roasting garlic is easy to do and can be used to add flavor to everything from soups to spreads to pasta and dips!

We served this soup as a side for our insanely good tuna melt and it was a match made in heaven! This would be an easy soup to use as a first course for Thanksgiving, which is here (how did it get here so fast!?).

Serves 4 - appetizer or first course


INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1/2 large cooking onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 head roasted garlic (skin ON! leave whole)
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1-2 cups of water
• 1 tsp dried sage leaves, crumbled
• cracked pepper and sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise. 
3. Rub cut surfaces with olive oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet. 
4. On the same baking sheet, place a whole bulb of garlic and drizzle with more olive oil. 
5. Bake uncovered in center of oven until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 45 minutes.
6. Meanwhile heat olive oil in a sauté pan. 
7. Add chopped onion and sauté until clear and soft. Place in food processor. 
8. Remove potato pulp from the sweet potatoes and place in a food processor. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the food processor until a smooth purée forms. Place purée into a large saucepan. 
9. Add broth and water until desired consistency. Cook on medium until thoroughly heated.
10. Season to taste with pepper, salt and dried sage.