Italian Meatballs

This past weekend, the boyfriend and I went to Disney World. The heat was ridiculous. There are still days that you just don't get use to it, though I have lived here for 20 years, hot is hot! Then add all the people and the strollers at Magic Kingdom, the crazy amount of strollers, driven by people that you would think they just learned how to walk, let alone stroll the damn things, and the heat becomes unbearable. Don't get me wrong, I love children and understand the need for the stroller at the park, but damn, pay attention people! I like my heals, my shins bruise easily, and my toes can't take one more over grown kid in a stroller rolling over them. The next day we went to Animal Kingdom and Epcot. It was much better. There weren't nearly as many people, and definitely not close to as many strollers; plus there is alcohol and a cold beer can really make things much better. It was a great weekend all in all, but Sunday we came home and it was time for me to cook!

I have been wanting Italian for the last week or so. While Epcot has a delicious Italian restaurant, eating there and trying to walk around the park just doesn't work. So, when we got home I decided to make some real Italian meatballs. I have never made meatballs, but enjoy them with I have them, so I thought, what the hell, I'll give them a try. I have to admit, it was hard to get them flavored well, but after about five rounds of add seasoning and testing small portions, I finally got them seasoned how I wanted to. Because of this, the portions below are as close as I could get them, but make sure you cook up small test size portions before you decided to roll them all up and cook them all. I also made homemade tomato sauce. Now, that was pretty damn good if I do say so, but will post that tomorrow in another post. Cabs are heya! Sorry, I couldn't resist, I don't even watch the show, but damn that line is catchy.

Italian Meatballs

• 1 pound ground beef, 85/15
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 large onion, small dice
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp red chill flakes
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 1/2 cup finely shredded Romano cheese
• 1 1/2 cups stale white bread
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 tbs Italian parsley
• 2 tbs Italian seasoning
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tbs salt
• 1 tbs black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil, for pan frying

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in large skillet over medium heat, then add onions and cook for 5 minutes until translucent.
3. Add garlic and red chili flakes and cook for 2 minutes, making sure not to brown the garlic.
4. Remove and let cool.
5. In a large mixing bowl, mix ground beef and ground pork together until combined.
6. Add onions and garlic mixture, eggs, cheese, bread, and parsley. Mix well until combined.
7. Add Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and mix until well combined.
8. Heat a small amount of oil in pan over medium high heat and cook a small test sample. Taste and add more seasonings as needed. 
9. Roll into balls, a bit larger than a golf ball. 
10. Eat half of the olive oil in a pan, add meatballs so they don't touch, and cook on all sides until browned. They will not be cooked all the way through.
11. Put on cooking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
12. Continue steps 9 through 11 until all meatballs are made.
13. Serve with Tomato Sauce and pasta.

Tips and Tricks

• Getting these things seasoned can be tricky. Just keep adding Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper and testing small portions until you get the right flavor. Everyone has a different pallet.
• Serve on toasted hoogie rolls with provolone cheese and tomato sauce for a meatball sub.
• You can bake them without browning them on the stove to be a bit healthier. Cook for 25 minutes.
• Veal would be a great addition to the meat used, if you can find it, use equal portions of each.
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