Best Reunion Meatballs Recipes

OU812 MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Presoak 12 bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.
• For the glaze: Combine the butter, pineapple juice, rum, sugar, tomato paste and vinegar in a small saucepan and simmer until reduced and the glaze has a texture like maple syrup, 7 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool slightly so it thickens up even more.
• For the meatballs: Set a small saute pan over high heat. Coat with a little olive oil and saute the garlic and shallots until caramelized, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with some salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
• In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and cream and set aside to soak.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, pork, cooled shallot and garlic mixture, currants, Parmesan, pine nuts and moistened breadcrumbs. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and mix well. Form into 36 (about 1 1/2-inch) meatballs and thread 3 meatballs per skewer. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Arrange the skewers on the rack and bake in the center of the oven until the meatballs are just barely cooked but will hold their shape on the grill, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven.
• Heat a grill to high and wipe down with an oil blotted paper towel to clean and create a nonstick surface. Place the skewers on the grill and char for about 30 seconds per side. Once they are browned, brush with the glaze and cook until the glaze is shiny and lightly coats the meatballs, 30 to 40 seconds more. Serve with any remaining glaze on the side for dipping.

QUICK AND SIMPLE MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine eggs, water, onion, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic and seasonings; mix well. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls. Place meatballs on greased racks in shallow baking pans. Bake, uncovered, until no longer pink, 15-18 minutes. , Freeze option: Freeze cooled meatballs in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in the microwave.

POTLUCK MEATBALLS

Steps:

• For the meatballs: Place the ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, eggs, red pepper flakes and some salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix together thoroughly. Form the mixture into uniform-size balls.
• Heat the oil and butter in a large pan. When hot, begin frying the meatballs in batches, setting them aside on a plate or baking sheet when brown. You may need to drain any excess fat from the pan during the frying process. Continue frying until all the meatballs are browned. Set aside.
• For the sauce: Add the beef consomme and three-quarters of the can of beef broth to the meatball pan, reserving the remaining broth in a small bowl. Add the mustard and tomato paste to the pan, then stir and bring to the boil.
• Add the cornstarch to the reserved beef broth and whisk so there are no lumps. As the sauce starts to boil, add the cornstarch mixture. When the sauce has thickened after a few minutes, return the meatballs to the pot and stir to make sure they are all coated in sauce. Continue to simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 45 minutes.

EXCELLENT MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Season the onions generously with salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The onions should be very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.
• In a large bowl combine the meats, eggs, Parmigiano, parsley and bread crumbs. It works well to squish the mixture with your hands. Add the onion mixture and season generously with salt and squish some more. Add the water and do 1 final really good squish. The mixture should be quite wet. Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini hamburger size patty and cooking it. The mixture should taste really good! If it doesn't it is probably missing salt. Add more. Add more anyway.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Shape the meat into desired size. Some people like 'em big some people like 'em small. I prefer meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. If using right away, add them to your big pot of marinara sauce. If not using right away, they can be frozen for later use. Serve with pasta and sauce or just eat them straight out of the pot! YUM!
• Coat a large saucepot with olive oil and add the pancetta. Bring the pot to a medium-high heat and cook the pancetta for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, season generously with salt and stir to coat with olive oil. Cook the onions for 6 to 7 minutes stirring frequently. The onions should become very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes stirring frequently.
• Pass the tomatoes through the food mill. Be sure to pass all of the pulp through the holes leaving only the stems and the seeds, and be sure to scrape the pulp off of the bottom of the food mill. That's all of the big money stuff! Add the tomatoes to the pot and rinse out 1 of the empty tomato cans with water and add that water to the pot (about 2 to 3 cups). Season generously with salt and TASTE IT!!!! Tomatoes take a lot of salt. Season in baby steps and taste every step of the way. Cook the sauce for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently.
• Use the sauce right away on pasta or for any other tomato sauce need. This sauce can also be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for a few days and freezes really well.
• Yield: 2 quarts