GRANDMA’S MEATBALLS

MAKES ABOUT 15 MEATBALLS

Grandma Connie in the original Chubby Mary’s

These meatballs were a lot like the eggplant—they were always around. Every Sunday, if there was a pot of sauce on the stove, these would be in a fryin’ pan. There’s not much about ’em that’s different from your standard-issue meatball, but then again, Grandma put enough garlic in ’em to give you agita for three days. Because she mixed the garlic in raw instead of browning it first, it was heartburn city—in the best possible way. There was so much flavor. She also never made ’em with all meat, the way a lotta people make ’em now. Back in the day, when times were bad, you needed bread crumbs to stretch the meat. You could turn 2 pounds of meat into 4 pounds of food. But it also makes for a more balanced meatball. Just because you can afford to make ’em with all meat doesn’t mean it’s the way to go. To us, it’s like eatin’ a ball of flavored hamburger. Maybe it’s just what we’re used to, but we think it’s better with bread crumbs. Or if you don’t have bread crumbs, you can use sliced bread instead, which is what our grandma sometimes did. Just soak 4 slices of white bread like Wonder Bread in water and squeeze out the excess liquid.

In this version of the recipe we call for baking the meatballs instead of frying them because it’s easier—it’s how we did it in the restaurant. That way, you don’t have to stand over a hot pan all afternoon. But if you’d rather fry ’em, just heat 2 cups of olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the meatballs until they’re golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes a side.

Last, if you don’t have cooked sauce prepared already, and are making it along with your meatballs, all you have to do is simmer the meatballs in the sauce for the last hour of the cook time after they’ve been browned.

1 cup Secret Bread Crumbs (here), or 4 slices white bread soaked in water

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

3 large eggs

1 cup grated pecorino

1½ teaspoons salt

Black pepper

6 garlic cloves, chopped

6 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves and stems chopped

1 recipe Cooked Sauce (here)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line a rimmed baking pan with aluminum foil. Combine all the ingredients except the cooked sauce in a large bowl and mix with your hands, being careful not to overmix. If the mixture is too dry, add water in ¼-cup increments.

Roll the mixture into golf ball–size balls or ovals and place them in the lined baking pan.

Add ¼ cup water to the pan and carefully transfer to the oven. Bake for 1 hour, or until the meatballs are golden brown. Remove and set aside.

When the meatballs are almost done, place the sauce in a large pot and heat through. When the oil turns dark and rises to the top of the tomato sauce, add the baked meatballs and cook for about 1 hour.

Serve over pasta, on a sandwich, or on the side.