Spaghetti and Meatballs

These meatballs are really tasty and moist.  You can make some spaghetti and meatballs out of them, serve them with a salad or make a sandwich.

You want to use fresh breadcrumbs, not the dry ones from the store. Fresh breadcrumbs are really easy to make. Just put stale or fresh bread into a food processor and process until fine. I prefer to use whole wheat bread. To store the breadcrumbs just put into a bag and keep in the freezer.

When tossing the meat together with the rest of the ingredients, be gentle. You do not want to force the meat together too much because that will result in a dense meatball. You want a light and fluffy meatball. Use your fingertips to toss the meat.

To make 12 even sized balls, divide the meat in half and then divide each half in half pieces. Divide each of the 4 pieces into 3 to get 12 meatballs.

I steam and then brown the meatballs. This is not how normal meatballs are cooked. I prefer to steam them for health reasons and then brown them for look and taste.

You can freeze cooked meatballs, well wrapped, for up to a month. Defrost in the refrigerator.

Meatballs

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 tablespoon plain yogurt, any fat

3 tablespoons milk, any fat

1 large egg yolk

1 pound ground beef, as lean as you can get it

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil or parsley

2 garlic cloves, made into a paste on a microplane

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Combine the breadcrumbs with the buttermilk and yolk in a large bowl. Mash until you get a paste. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss with light hand to combine all the ingredients thoroughly. Divide into 12 chunks, form into balls and put on a plate. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

You can put a cube of mozzarella cheese in the meatball (about 1/2 inch cube). Fresh mozzarella (the one that is sold in water) works better in the meatball than the harder mozzarella. Be sure to tuck it in really good. During steaming the cheese may spill out a bit.

Steam the meatballs until they are 160 F. Remove and heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 12-inch skillet (not non-stick) over medium-low heat. When the oil is simmering, put the meatballs into the skillet. Don't pull on them or move them around after that. Let them develop a crust and when they are ready to release they will come off easily. Remove on to a paper lined plate.

To make spaghetti and meatballs, this is what you do. Heat up some spaghetti sauce (as much or as little as you want) in the same skillet that you browned the meatballs. Add the spaghetti (again as much as you want) and toss to combine. Add the meatballs (do not need to add all, since you can freeze leftovers) and coat them in the sauce. Arrange on the plate (2 or 3 meatballs per person). Sprinkle with some parsley and Parmesan and serve.

Makes 12 meatballs