Mama Mia Meatballs!

It's initiation time bitches! I chose this recipe for the first entry because it's simple, tasty and you can use them a few different ways. I use turkey in this recipe just because I'm not a huge fan of ground beef and because ground turkey is light enough that I can make it a few nights a week. But feel free to use whatever meat you prefer. You can also use the "traditional" meatball mix of meats: Ground beef, ground pork & ground veal if you want to make these extra special.

Here is the recipe:

2 Eggs [large]
1/4 cup Bread Crumbs [I had plain on hand, italian style work too or you can make your own!]
1 Small Onion
2 tblspoons Milk
1 pkg of Ground Turkey
2 tblspoons Rosemary
1/4 cup Fresh Basil
1/4 cup Flat Leaf Parsley
4 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano [get the good stuff that's actually part of a wedge]
1/2 cup Parmesan [get the good stuff here too, it has waaaay better flavor]
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper [about a teaspoon of salt/half teaspoon of pepper]

Everything is all set [the eggs are hiding behind the massive onion I got!]:

I like to start with the onion and the garlic. Chop both finely, think about proportions...no one wants to bite into a chunk of garlic or onion. Take the extra time to chop both well. [I only used 1/3 of that GINORMOUS onion]

Next up is the herbs. First the rosemary, take off all the leaves and chop extra fine. The parsley is next, DON'T waste your time picking off all the leaves. Some of the stems are a bit thick, so just chop off the stems and keep the top leafy parts [bottom left is what you should keep]:

Grate the cheeses and then everything will be prepped:

In a large bowl whisk the eggs and add the onion, garlic:

Add the herbs, milk, salt and pepper [reserve some basil for your sauce, if you'd like]

Add the cheeses & bread crumbs:

Mix it all up:

Add the turkey by folding it into the cheesy mixture with your hands. Don't squeeze or knead the mixture, this isn't bread dough, you want the meatballs to be light and yummy...

Once everything is mixed...we can start forming:

You can make them as small or as large as you like, I find meatballs a little smaller than golf ball size are the easiest to work with and the most universal for other meals.

Since I'm a single girl I like to cook 8-10 and freeze the rest for other dinner ideas. You can eat them alone or put them in a sub-roll with melty provolone cheese for an excellent game day sandwich!

Add the olive oil to a good-sized pan and get it pretty hot, but NOT smokey:

Everyone into the pool! You can skip this step if you just prefer to cook them in sauce, which would take about an hour, your choice!

Turn meatballs every 3-4 minutes until all sides are browned:

Pull the meatballs out of the pan once they're fully cooked and browned on all sides:

Bring in your favorite jarred pasta sauce and pasta...it was spaghetti today and I'm a sucker for anything with vodka in it, including pasta sauce:

While the pasta water is brought up to a boil [DON'T forget to salt the water!]:

Add the sauce to the old meatball pan and the already cooked meatballs...don't forget your reserved basil! Think of this as a jacuzzi for the meatballs, you want the meatballs to rest and become one with the sauce:

Toss everything together, add some extra cheese if you want and eat up!

There you go...everyone loves a yummy meatball! Please send me an email if there is something you want me to attempt to make I'm always open to suggestions!!

Don't know what to do with all those fresh herbs you just bought? Add the basil and some tomatoes to a grilled cheese! Add a few sprigs of rosemary to a freezer bag with sliced lemons and some chicken and let it marinate while you're at work, bake it off when you get home! The cheeses? EVERYTHING is better with cheese...

p.s. No one likes the smell of garlic and onion lingering on your hands, so rub them against your stainless steel sink, or just buy one of these: Rub-Away Bar