All About Food
Good food, good recipes, good cooking tips, good drinks,
and anything else an epicurean might dream up!
Sunday, October 16, 2005
My Big Fat Greek Meatballs & Sauce
Ok, it has been entirely TOO long since I've posted anything on this blog, so I thought I'd write a recipe that I LOVE LOVE LOVE! I made my famous meatballs last week but unfortunately, I totally spaced out on taking pictures along the way, so I apologize for that. I may make them again soon & take pics this time. Since it's just me here at home, I made a relatively small portion of meatballs, but you can make as many as you want. Just add more of the same ingredients listed here.

I think I used about 2/3 lb of ground beef. You can also use ground turkey if you want. It tastes just as good. My store was out of ground turkey, so that's why i settled for a leaner meat ~ 93% less fat.

I chopped up 1/2 an onion into small pieces... not finely diced, but close enough to that.

1 egg

I used 2 small baguettes (like dinner rolls, but slightly bigger ~ not hoagie-size, though) that can be a couple of days old. You soak the bread enough to make it all wet & then squeeze all the water out of it. I know people use breadcrumbs or regular sliced bread... I prefer the baguettes because they are more traditional Greek that way.

season salt & oregano, to taste

flour

frying pan with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan & a little bit more

Let the ground beef sit out of the fridge for a bit because it will be too cold to mix. You get your hands dirty for this one, so take off your rings... but don't drop them in the sink... lol. Add the chopped onion to the ground beef in a mixing bowl. Add the egg, squeezed bread & seasonings. Mix all ingredients together with your hands very well & form into small meatballs. make them small ~ approximately 1 1/2 inches round. But you can make them bigger if you want. I just prefer them this size. I roll them in flour & when the oil is hot, I cook them all the way thru. I usually let them sit on one side & then the other. When they are done, I put them on a paper towel-lined plate. I think this recipe made approximately 20 meatballs for me.

In the meantime, you can also make a fresh tomato sauce. I bought 2 ripe large tomatoes & grated them with a hand grater. I included the peel in here, too. In a medium sauce pan, I put some extra virgin olive oil in it & added some more chopped up onions. I cooked them until they were caramalized, but not browned. I then added the tomato pulp & some season salt, oregano,a small pinch of basil & a dash or two of paprika. Paprika gives it a little bit of a kick, obviously. You can omit it if you don't want it in there. The secret ingredient is to add a couple teaspoons of sugar. This takes away the bitterness of the tomatoes & gives the recipe a little sweetness. I cook the mixter for about 15 minutes on a low-medium heat. When the flavors are perfecty mixed, I add the meatballs & let them absorb some of the delicious tomato sauce. You can cook some pasta & put it all on there, or serve them as an appetizer.

... and voila! Dinner is served!
3 Comments:
Blogger Wendy said...
I haven't made it past this title yet .. but MAN, I love meatballs in sauce! I will make this soon!! YUM!

Blogger chosha said...
I just spied your recipe for spinach and black bean lasagne. As soon as convert it all to metric, I'm going to give it a go. I'm on the lookout right now for some really good vegetarian recipes, so if you have any more that rock, I'd love to see them.

Blogger nosthegametoo said...
I love food. I'll definately be back for some tips. I'm glad I found your blog.