A New Jersey meatball recipe worth making again and again

Everyone has a favorite meatball, in Italian families it's typically a grandmother who had a 'trick' that made her meatballs the BEST in the world.

Sometimes those recipes were handed down, and sometimes Grandma took it to the grave.

Either way, trying to recreate that amazing taste that brings you back to a crowded and loud family table is a goal that many family chefs chase for years.

Photo via Canva

The emotional pull of the perfect Italian meatball

For me and Jodi, it's about chasing a great taste and not necessarily a throwback to the old days.

Jodi has a recipe that we made over the weekend that truly produced the best meatballs I've ever had.

Photo via Bill Spadea & Canva

A simple meatball recipe using Amish market ingredients

We started with two pounds of ground beef and added the sausage meat from three Amish market links.

This time we used the garlic and wine sausage, then I took a couple of Calandra's sandwich rolls and let them dry out on the counter for a few hours and ripped them into pieces in a bowl.

With the meat in a separate large glass bowl we added two raw eggs, about a cup or grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese, a cup of chopped fresh parsley, salt, pepper and celery salt.

Then we add some raw milk from the Amish market to the bread to get each piece soft.

Add the soaked bread to the meat, eggs, cheese and spice. Mix with your hands, don't over mix it.

How to cook cast iron skillet meatballs the right way

In a cast iron skillet, heat the pan and some algae oil, then form the balls of meat from the bowl and drop them in the skillet.

Leave them sit to brown, only flip when the meatball releases from the surface.

Brown all sides.

You can add them to the sauce/gravy I wrote about yesterday or cook them thru and enjoy with some sea salt. Delicious.

Here are 9 Farm-to-Table Restaurants to Check Out in the Garden State

For those who like farm-fresh food and ingredients when they dine out, you’ll be happy to know that New Jersey has a vibrant farm-to-table dining scene with many restaurants committed to sourcing local and seasonal ingredients.

Gallery Credit: Jen Ursillo

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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