Good Living with Aprilanne

Authentic Italian Meatballs and Spaghetti can be yours!

A little background on this recipe:  Grandma Rose’s generation did not use measurements in recipes, but rather cooked with their senses, how the food looked, tasted, and even felt, adding more cheese, or spices etc., to perfect the texture, consistency, and flavor of a dish. With this in mind, the following recipe is the official recipe known as  “Grandma Rose’s Authentic Italian Meatballs,” compliments of Joe Mack, Grandma Roses’ eldest son, who recommends tasting one as soon as it’s cool enough, “because that’s when they taste the best.”

Get in touch with your “Inner Italian” and give it a try…Buona Fortuna!

2 pounds of chopped beef, veal and pork
2-3 eggs depending on size, slightly beaten
1/2 cup plus of finely chopped onion
3 slices of white bread or 2-3 hotdog rolls, chopped finely - About 1/2 cup of skim milk or more - Very big bunch of Italian Parsley chopped fine/leaves only
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Heaping tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Soak chopped bread in milk till it is nice and mushy

2. Add eggs, parsley, onions, cheese, salt and pepper and mix well

3. Add chopped meat and mix well using your *hands; there is no alternative

*Fun Fact # 1 -Grandma Rose would never wear nail polish when cooking for fear that it may chip into the food she was preparing..

4. When thoroughly mixed, form into meatballs by rolling in your palms. You should make 18 to 24 meatballs.

5. Place meatballs in lightly oiled, olive of course, cookie tin and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Do not overcook. The meatballs may be browned in a frying pan; however, the baking is easier and probably healthier.

6. When cool remove meatballs from pan and scrape off any fat that has formed. Did you make more than you need or want to freeze some to enjoy at another time? Try Joe Mack’s Freezing Trick - by laying them out on a cookie sheet and covering to freeze for later use. Check back periodically for additional “Authentic Italian,” Wine Country Cuisine, and “California Living” inspired recipes to try out!

Watch  “Making Meatballs with Aprilanne” now On-Demand on Aprilanne.com

Making Meatballs with Aprilanne!

Why “Meatballs?”   I began my quest for a chef to cook MEATBALLS with me on the show since I found out how “hungry” people are for real, authentic, Italian recipes by the popularity of my Grandma Rose’s MEATBALL Recipe .   And thanks to my Italian heritage - I’ve got a lifetime of great, authentic Italian recipes to share so consider MEATBALLS just the beginning of the many good things to come!

There are some things in life you just can’t live without -  like Grandma Rose’s Authentic Italian Meatballs and Spaghetti Sauce! 

Now while I have 2 Meatball Recipes to share with you  - the first is my Grandma Rose’s Recipe since it is recipe to make the Meatballs I grew up on…which has been handed down generation after generation.  The secret ingredient in this recipe is the hot dog roles (yes you read that right!) which are soaked in milk prior to mixing in with the meat to give these meatballs that delectable softness Grandma Rose’s Meatballs are famous for.

The 2nd recipe is courtesy of Sonoma County Chef Graziano Perozzi who, graciously showed us how to “make meatballs” on California Living Prime Time - which can be viewed in the video player above for an easy step by step account of how to…make Meatballs!

Graziano’s Meatballs, unlike Grandma Rose’s, don’t call for any bread or breadcrumbs.  Are they still soft and delicious?  Why not make both recipes and you be the judge…and if you are so inclined - drop us a note to let us know your vote on which recipe makes the better Meatball - Enjoy!   Aprilanne

AuthenticMeatballs.com