“Another meatball recipe?” I hear you say. Yes. Another one. Look, I’ve never made a secret of the fact that I love a good meatball. I’m always trying new ways of cooking them, different flavour combinations and always trying to make them even better. Well, my friends. I have succeeded. I’m not sure whether I’ll ever need another meatball recipe after making these.
I decided to use a lot of herbs (A LOT) and very little other flavourings. I stayed away completely from any spices and simply let the herbs and beef do the talking. I also added some finely grated Pecorino which wasn’t an obvious flavour but definitely added a lovely depth which is only achievable if you add cheese to something. The stand-out quality of these meatballs however is the fact that they are so unbelievably tender and juicy. This is due to an old trick my gran taught me. You soak regular ol’ white bread in a little milk until all the milk has been absorbed and then add both the bread and the milk to the beef. My oh my does it make a big difference. Also keep in mind that you can be very generous with salt and pepper in any meatball or hamburger patty recipe. It needs it. And before I form the meatballs, I always fry a teaspoon full of the mixture in a hot pan just to make sure the seasoning is perfect.
I first browned the meatballs in a hot frying pan to seal in all the deliciousness and then poached them in a very rich tomato sauce. The end result was absolutely to die for. I served the meatballs and tomato sauce over al dente bucatini but this would be great over polenta, mashed potatoes or simply just crusty bread to mop up all the rich tomato juices.
