Ingredients

1/3 cup chicken stock

¼ yellow onion

1 clove garlic, peeled

¼ cup fresh italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine

½ pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

½ pound ground veal

1/3 cup plain bread crumbs

2 eggs

¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

3 to 6 cups Mama’s Marinara

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

  1. Place the chicken stock, garlic, and onions in a blender or food processor and purée.

  2. In a large bowl, combine the puréed stock mix, meat, bread crumbs, eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, red pepper flakes, and salt. Combine with both hands until the mixture is uniform. Do not overmix.

  3. Put a little olive oil on your hands and form the mixture into balls a little larger than golf balls. They should be about ¼ cup each, though if you prefer bigger or smaller, it will only affect the browning time.

  4. Pour about ½ inch of extra-virgin olive oil into a straight-sided, 10-inch-wide sauté pan and heat over a medium-high flame. Add the meatballs to the pan (working in batches, if necessary) and brown the meatballs well on all sides. This will take about 10-15 minutes.

  5. While the meatballs are browning, heat the marinara sauce in a stockpot over medium heat. Lift the meatballs out of the sauté pan with a slotted spoon and put them in the marinara sauce. Stir gently. Simmer for one hour.

  6. Serve with a little extra Parmigiano-Reggiano sprinkled on top.