Here’s some nice, everyday cooking. Meatballs with Ricotta, in a Simple, Delicious Broth uses ingredients that are (with the exception of the cornichons, which you probably will find with imported foods rather than with the pickles) easy to find in the store if you don’t already have them in your fridge and/or cupboards. The recipe comes together quickly and is as unfussy as good food gets. The meatballs are meaty, beefy, and tasty, and the broth is simple, casual, and very satisfying.
Ingredients for 16 small meatballs, making 4 servings:
2 eggs
1 lb. meatloaf mix, which at my local grocer means a mixture of chuck and pork
8 oz. ricotta
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
¼ cup breadcrumbs
6 cornichons
3 Tbs chopped pistachios (from ~1/4 cup shelled nuts)
3 Tbs butter
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup whole milk (substitute 2%)
(Salt) and freshly-cracked pepper
How to do it:
- Lightly beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Then, add the meat, ricotta, cheese, crumbs, pickles, and pistachios, and mix them together with your hands just until it’s just blended. Form 16 small meatballs (2¼ oz. each, or about 1 inch in diameter).
- Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet (or the equivalent) over medium heat. Fry the meatballs in (perhaps three) batches, or you’ll never be able to turn them. They’re somewhat delicate; you’ll need a lot of maneuvering room. To turn them, first slide a spatula firmly underneath one, to ensure that it’s not sticking to the pan, then assist the spatula with a soup spoon (or your fingers, if you dare) in rolling it onto a fresh side. Turn them at 2-minute intervals. Continue until you’ve fully browned all the balls.
- Return all the meatballs to the pan, and add the stock and milk. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Off heat. Remove the meatballs from the pan and whisk the liquid. Correct seasoning. Return the balls to the pan, and baste them with the liquid (or place the balls in a serving dish, and pour the broth over them).
- Serve with something that will love the pan juices, like a crusty bread, rice, potatoes, etc.
This recipe is a modification of Meatballs with Ricotta in Milk, from “Molto Italiano: 327 simple Italian recipes to cook at home,” by the ever-increasingly notorious Mario Batali. Harper Collins, NY: 2005; pg. 398-99. I intended, actually, to try this recipe out, rather than modify it, but after my horrifying discovery that there was no packaged veal in my local supermarket, and my fear over the repercussions of possibly being overhead asking for this controversial delicacy at the meat counter … well, one thing led to another.
Notes:
- Four meatballs per serving is a large (but not obscene) portion. Half that would be acceptable if you were serving ample sides.
- I wonder how many readers of this blog think a meatloaf mix is a packet of seasoning you’d find in the same aisle that has Hamburger Helper? No worries. I embrace you. And I usher you to the cooler where they stock pre-packaged hamburger. Or, if you’re one of the cultural elite with more time on their hands than I have (sorry I’ve missed so many of the meetings lately), I invite you to visit your butcher to get some meat that you can hand grind into your own mix. (And if you do, bring some over.)
- I was raised to believe that 50% beef, 25% veal, and 25% pork were the Jesus, Joseph, and Mary of meatloaf. Am I going to one day be this old grandpa who tells little tykes, “When I was a kid, meatloaf mix had veal in it!” I did find this tidbit of information: “…add a teaspoon of unflavored powdered gelatin to two pounds of meat. The gelatin will act much like the veal, keeping the texture softer and moister.” If all that the veal is doing in this combo is keeping it tender, then I’m not going to ask a calf to die at such a young age after having had a such a miserable existence, for a meat mixture that contains this much ricotta. Or am I? Next time I make this dish, I will consider the gelatin idea.
- When I say “eggs,” you say “large.” “Eggs!” “Large!” “Eggs!” “Large!” In my house, there are only large eggs. When I was a kid, my folks always bought extra large eggs; it just adds to my suspicion of having been adopted.
- The original recipe calls for fresh breadcrumbs, and I had a loaf of brioche sitting on my countertop, but I lacked the patience that it would take to dry some out and turn it to crumbs, so I used store-bought crumbs. Wait a minute, I think the way Ina would’ve said this is, “If you can’t make your own crumbs from homemade brioche, store-bought are fine.”
- The original recipe also called for three – yes, exactly three – pistachios, chopped. Seemed a bit reminiscent The Princess and the Pea – as in, anyone who can detect the pistachio in these meatballs must be a real princess. The pistachios lend a compellingly usual green shade to the broth that you don’t notice at first, but after some princess calls it out, you can’t stop seeing it. Go ahead and take a second look at the following image, which I deliberate did not retouch.
- Don’t add salt to the broth before you’ve tasted it, especially if you’ve used a store-bought stock.
Batali calls this a “broken” sauce. It’s not emulsified, like a typical finished sauce or gravy. At first, I thought I might go the full nine yards and add a roux, but I loved the light simplicity of the broth against the texture of the meatballs.
Meatballs with Ricotta, in a Simple, Delicious Broth
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. In doing research for this post, I found Chowhound and Serious Eats to be useful. Thank you, Kesor.
Yum, I bet the ricotta adds some nice richness to the meatballs!
I’m on the fence about it. They were tender, for sure, and tasty … but not as rich as you might think.
I would guess the ricotta makes these meatballs more tender than normal. I think these would be delicious with some egg noodles.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted…Grilled Lamb Kebabs With Mint Yogurt Sauce
Yes, they’re very tender. And yes, egg noodles would be lovely with them! I did not think of that!
They look and sound divine, Jeff, even if they weren’t as rich as you may have liked. Maybe the milk would have taken care of that, or a sneaky dash of minced pancetta or speck to the veal/beef, or chunks of it in the broth. I find I’m adding those to many things these days.
John | heneedsfood recently posted…Dubrovnik rožata
I have a feeling the veal would’ve really made them rich.
Fak! I love meatballs! I remember when I was in boarding school, there was a place called WHY COOK across the way from campus and I would go there all the time and get 8 meatballs. Pretty much daily. The best meatballs EVER!
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You went to boarding school?
Yes sir. For 3 years. I was a misfit kid… And then was thrown in boarding school for snowboarding. I was on the Colorado State Snowboard Team and competed in the JR OLYMPICS.
How awesome! I mean, about being a misfit! 😉
Our meatloaf mix has veal—I love it for meat balls, too. And yours sound terrific! I don’t think I’ve ever met a meatball I didn’t like 🙂
Holy (meat)balls, that looks delicious, Jeff! I’m intrigued by the idea of cornichons in the meatballs…I can see how that would work for sure. Next time I’m in the store, I’m getting cornichons. Although I suspect finding them in our area might be a challenge. We shall see. I wonder if I can brine my own?? (My brain works in strange ways….)
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I’m absolutely sure you, of all people, could make your own cornichons. The problem you’d have, I suspect, is finding such a small cucumber. Although I bet you’ve already got cucumbers planted…
I know just how you feel. It seems every chef my age tells me that veal stock is the key to every dish no discussion. Ah well, I’m used to not being able to find my keys, almost a comfort zone. These meatballs sound so delicate that I wonder if a firmer breadcrumb could help, not brioche but a stale crusty old loaf (which sounds like my next cover band). Good is good, count me in, pass the wine.
I would definitely check out a band called Crusty Old Loaf. Yes, I think homemade crumbs, maybe from a wheat loaf, would be great in these meatballs.
Yet another great use for those never ending jars of cornichons I can’t resist when I see them go on sale! Cool. GREG
Thanks, man!
WOA! That ricotta must make these meatballs so tender and rich! I have friends who always have a crock pot of meatballs going at every get-together – and I’m sending this to them – just too good not to share!
Thanks, Shashi!
Had to look up cornichons there Jeff. I had no idea that’s what you guys called what we know as gherkins here in the U.K. Was thinking this wouldn’t be something I could make if it had been some kind of exotic ingredient! Ha ha! But no, I’m good to go with this! In fact since I only ever seem to use those gherkins (cornichons) to make my own tartar sauce this delicious recipe seems like a great way to use that jar up! Thanks!
I don’t think they’re exactly the same thing, but from what I understand, the differences are esoteric (unless you’re French, of course).
Yum! Who doesn’t like meat balls? I haven’t seen ground veal — or meat loaf mix — in my supermarket butcher case for a long, long time. It was real common when I was a kid, and even 10 or so years ago. I’ll have to try the gelatin trick — that sounds interesting. Fun post, good recipe — thanks.
John / Kitchen Riffs recently posted…Carrot Slaw
You’re welcome, John. If I try the gelatin trick, I’ll let you know how it goes.
Hahaha, in my house growing up, it was actually EXTRA large eggs. Because my dad always believed that bigger was always better. Now I only buy large eggs, because extra large is a little too much in cookie recipes :p
Anyhoo, your meatballs look fantastic! I haven’t made meatballs in FOREVER!!
Thanks, Cathleen – yeah, I think we had similar parents! I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that when a recipe calls for an egg, it’s a large egg, unless otherwise specified. And an extra-large egg, in a baking in particular – which I do a lot of – would make a big difference.
Your recipe sounds delicious, but actually also seems to take a lot more work than ordinary meatballs, especially the ones I make. I don’t take the time to fry them — I bake them at 475º on a silpat mat or a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet for 10 or 15 minutes. I think that these would be too delicate and full of liquids that would leak out to bake them, but of course I don’t really know.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Sounds really delicious. I do like meatballs just fried up, but a nice sauce, broken or not, really does bring it to another level. And I definitely vote for veal, but it’s hard to find these days, isn’t it.
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This is pure comfort food – man’s food!. The ricotta is a great addition to the meatballs. I really like that you made it in a broth. So many different ideas to sop up all that delicious stock.
Thanks, Peter.
Meatballs! I have seen and eaten them once, and that was a military meal. They have meatballs in USA military meals. It was so delicious. At the time, I wondered about how they made it, but thanks to you, now I exactly know how it is made. Thanks for the delicious recipe! 🙂