To Seize In a Firm Embrace

      Five moves, four jobs, three states, a marriage and a pandemic since my last post. My writing is sure to be rusty, given the whirlwind and that the only words I type on a daily basis are to physicians with the objective of being as concise as possible. The healthcare setting is not a place where creativity thrives but it is a place, especially now, that has helped me savor my life in ways that have surprised me. There are the obvious things: my beautiful family, my resilient body, my memory foam pillow, my stubborn wellspring of joy. But who would have guessed, for instance, that I would find such peace in watching the snow fall? Or pleasure in eating meatballs? Or delight in re-watching a 1980s romantic comedy starring Cher with two best friends over the telephone? 

    " 'Moonstruck' is a film that never winks at its audience; it seizes them in a firm embrace, kisses them on both cheeks and forces them to sit down and eat something" C. Weaver writes in a recent homage to the movie and the actors that bring the film so lovingly to life -- very much like what Amy did for me on Christmas day, after a very long and poignant shift at the hospital, with a bona-fide Italian meal and a masterpiece of a meatball front and center.

Amy's Meatballs and Tomato Sauce

adapted from Chris Boswell

      This almost-equal ratio of stale bread to meat might seem heavy handed at first but it yields the fluffiest, loveliest meatball and bodes well for the frugal cook. Meatballs (or polpettes) are usually served on their own but feel free to serve alongside a small portion of pasta, focaccia or red wine braised lentils. We like them with a simple arugula salad with vinaigrette using the garlic oil (1 ½ T sherry or wine vinegar, 2 T garlic confit oil, 2 t honey, ½ t sea salt, and several cranks from the pepper mill).

Ingredients

For the sauce

1 T olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

48oz San Marzano peeled whole tomatoes (one and a half large cans)

1 c fresh basil

2 T additional olive oil

1 ½ t chili flakes

1 ½ t sea salt (more to taste)

½ t black pepper (more to taste)

For the garlic confit

1 c olive oil

1 head garlic, skins removed

1 t chili flakes

bay leaf, optional

For the meatballs

10 oz several day old rustic country bread with hard crusts removed

2 c whole milk

1 lb ground beef

1 ½ t sea salt (more to taste)

¾ t freshly ground black pepper

1 t chili flakes

1 t dried oregano

6 garlic confit cloves, chopped (see following recipe)

¾ c Grana Padano

1 egg

Process

For the sauce

Add 1 T olive oil to heavy bottomed deep sauce pot. Caramelize diced onion over medium/low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add minced garlic in final 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a blender, add the tomatoes, fresh basil, 2 T olive oil and caramelized onions/garlic mixture. Blend until smooth and pour back into sauce pot. Let simmer on low heat while you work on the other steps.

For the garlic confit

Add all ingredients in a small sauce pot so that the garlic is covered by the olive oil. Bring to a slow simmer over low heat – just enough so that the cloves are slightly bubbling. Maintain this level of activity for about 45 minutes or until cloves are golden brown.

Discard bay leaf and store in sealed container once cool. Oil is good for pastas and salad dressings. The garlic is good in everything.

For the meatballs

Soak the bread in a large bowl so that the bread is fully submerged. Let rest for 45 minutes.

In another large bowl, mix together meat, salt, pepper, chili flakes, oregano, garlic, Grana Padano and egg. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Set aside until bread is done soaking.

Squeeze as much of the milk out of the bread as possible and discard the liquid. Add the soaked bread by crumbling it into the meat mixture. Mix with your hands until bread is evenly distributed and knead a few times before forming into golf ball sized balls.

In a cast iron skillet over medium/high heat, brown the meatballs on all sides in a little bit of olive oil. Add to the very gently simmering sauce and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Yields: about 18 meatballs

Prep time: about an hour

Cook time: about an hour and a half, somewhat unattended

Writing by Adria | Photography by Amy