Spicy Meatballs

I love my Irish descent, but I must admit that I am an Italian-want-to-be.  Which isn't a bad thing.  Not
having an Italian Mother or Grandmother to hand me down all the secret family recipes has made me work harder to find the perfect recipes.  Picking the brains of every Italian friend or co-worker in my lifetime, testing their recipes, and finding what works for me, has made me a better cook.  Just recently, my friend Stephanie shared with me her meatball recipe.  Voila, after all these years the perfect recipe for meatballs was sitting right across from me at work.

The reason why I love this meatball recipe is because it's packed with flavor with just the right amount of spiciness, and they're moist but holds together well.  These meatballs can stand on their own.  I think the secret is the addition of beef broth to the mixture and baking them in beef broth.  If you're not a fan of spicy meatballs, cut back on the crushed red pepper.  So my search for the perfect meatball recipe is over, thanks Steph!

Spicy Meatballs - makes 30 Meatballs

1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated.
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup beef broth (I used low-sodium)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

2 lbs. ground veal/pork/beef mix
1 cup beef broth (low sodium)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix the first 13 ingredients together in a large bowl.  Next gently add meat mixing with  a fork, do not over mix.

With an ice cream scoop, measure out meat mixture and form into a ball.  Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and place meatballs evenly on sheet pan (making sure they don't touch).  Pour 1 cup of beef broth around meatballs covering the pan.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Save cooked pan dripping for your sauce.

This recipe was originally adapted from Cuisine at Home.



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