Best Frankies Meatballs Recipes

FRANKIES MEATBALLS image

Categories Pork

Number Of Ingredients 14

Two 28-ounce cans peeled Italian tomatoes, crushed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 slices of white sandwich bread
4 large eggs, beaten
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon minced marjoram
2 pounds ground beef chuck
1/2 cup dried currants
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
2 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Steps:

Pour the tomatoes into a large enameled cast-iron casserole and crush them. Add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, soak the bread in water until saturated. Squeeze out the water and transfer the bread to a large bowl. Mash the bread to a paste and stir in the eggs, garlic, parsley, marjoram, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Mash until smooth. Add the chuck, currants, pine nuts and cheese and mix until combined. Add the bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time, and knead until the mixture is firm enough to roll. Form the mixture into 36 meatballs (about 3 tablespoons each), tucking in the currants and pine nuts. In a large, nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the meatballs in 2 batches and fry over moderate heat, turning, until browned and cooked through, about 12 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meatballs to a plate. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve in bowls, passing more cheese at the table.

Frankies' Meatballs Recipe image

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 12

4 slices plain white bread, torn into large pieces (about 2 packed cups)
2 pounds ground beef (90 percent lean, no fattier)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup raisins
1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
15 turns freshly ground white pepper
4 large eggs
1/2 cup dried plain breadcrumbs
12 cups (3 quarts) tomato sauce, such as our Basic Tomato Sauce

Steps:

Heat the oven to 325°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
Place the bread in a large bowl, cover with water, and let soak until saturated, about 1 minute. Pour off the remaining water, wring out the bread, and tear it into tiny pieces. Place in a large bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients except the breadcrumbs and tomato sauce and mix to combine. Add the breadcrumbs a little at a time until the mixture is moist wet, not sloppy wet. (You may not have to add all of the breadcrumbs.)
Roll 1/2 cup of the meat mixture between your hands until it's smooth, compact, and round (about 2 inches in diameter) and place the meatball on a baking sheet; repeat until you have 15 meatballs, spacing them 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake until firm and just cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes. (At this point, you can cool the meatballs and hold them in the refrigerator for as long as a couple of days or freeze them for the future.)
Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce in a large pot over medium heat until simmering. Add the meatballs and increase the heat to medium high until the sauce returns to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meatballs soak up some of the sauce, at least 30 minutes. Serve 3 meatballs per person with a healthy helping of the sauce. Top each portion with a fluffy mountain of grated cheese.