Italian Meatballs

I made two things the other night. This recipe and Rice Krispy Treats. My daughter, who prefers food with a Ketchup or Ranch dressing base (gag!) turned up her beautiful little nose at the meatball and said, "This tastes funny, Mommy." This meatball is so amazing because (unlike the grizzly meatballs in the frozen food aisle) you can taste all the ingredients. The mixture of the Parmesan cheese and the Italian bread melts in your mouth. I swore I could taste the olives from the olive oil. This is not a dry meatball. Since you dip your bread in milk instead of using bread crumbs, this meatball is moist and delicious.

For this recipe you will need:

1 lb lean beef

1 lb lean pork

3 garlic cloves

1/4 c parsley, finely chopped

1/2 c Parmesan cheese wedge, freshly grated

1 egg

2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 c Italian bread, day old (dipped in milk, squeezed out, and chopped)

1/4 c milk (for the Italian bread)

1/2 c olive oil for frying

Put salt and pepper directly into meats to season. Then combine the rest of the ingredients. Do not over mix because this will toughen your meat. Make balls about 1 inch in diameter. In a large skillet, heat up olive oil and let the meatballs brown, turning them to cook all over. Remove from oil after about ten minutes. Add to your favorite marinara. I think this recipe would be perfect to serve with a penne pasta, but in the above photo I served it with spaghetti.

Later that evening, I made Rice Krispy Treats with my daughter. She bit into the first treat and she said, "Oh, Mom, you CAN cook after all." She won't eat a meatball unless I drown it in ketchup, but if I throw marshmallows and butter in the microwave I'm suddenly Rachel Ray. Nice!