Originally published on January 20, 2016
If you don’t know anything about her, you might think the most notable thing about Anne Burrell is her smart mouth and her blonde punk hairstyle. You’d never guess that she graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and then from the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners before she went on to cook in some of the fanciest restaurants in New York. You’d never guess this about Burrell because she’s so relatable, so down-to-earth. And so is her food, as she demonstrates with these meatballs.
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, cut into 1/4″ dice
- Salt
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground veal
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup water
Directions:
1.) Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Season the onions generously with salt and cook 5 to 7 minutes. The onions should be very soft and aromatic, but have no colour. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
2.) In a large bowl combine the meats, eggs, Parmesan, parsley, and the bread crumbs. Squish the mixture with your hands to thoroughly combine. Add the onion mixture and season generously with salt before squishing and mixing some more. Add the water and do one final good mix.
3.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Shape the meat into meatballs the size of your choice.
4.) Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through.
5.) Serve, with marinara sauce or on their own, and enjoy!