Sicilian Meatballs with Raisins and Pine Nuts in a Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce
Description
You may think that you have a good meatball recipe, but you need a great meatball recipe and this is it. It will become your go to recipe in the future.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
1 1/4 lb. ground beef
½ c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 lemon, zested
½ c. finely chopped onions
½ c. fresh breadcrumbs (white bread or other with crusts removed in a food processor for best results)
7 oz. whole milk
1 whole egg
¼ c. pine nuts
½ c. golden raisins
½ c. chopped flat leaf parsley, stems removed
½ t. chopped fresh garlic clove
½ T. sugar
½ oz. salt
Sauce:
½ T. minced fresh garlic
2 anchovy filets
2 oz. olive oil
¼ c. finely diced onion
¼ c. finely diced fennel bulb
1 t. fennel seed
¼ c. freshly squeezed orange juice
½ c. red wine vinegar
2 large cans San Marzano plum tomatoes, crushed by hand, with its juices
1/2 oz. sugar
½ T. salt
1 bay leaf
basil Leaves and rosemary, roughly chopped
chopped parsley
Directions
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Preheat oven to 550 degrees or as hot as possible, a convection oven is even better. Oil a large rimmed sheet pan.
Meatballs:
Place all meatball ingredients in a stand mixer; mix with paddle attachment slowly for 2-3 minutes until completely incorporated, or place into a large bowl and mix by hand.
Refrigerate meatball mixture for 15-30 minutes, making it easier to roll into meatballs. Use an ice cream scoop to make meatballs for uniformity and if possible, use a scale to weigh 1 or 2. Best range is 2.4-2.6 oz. for full size, 1.25 oz. for appetizer size.
Gently roll until round and place them side by side on the sheet pan. Bake for 10 minutes; remove; allow to cool to room temperature, unless the sauce has already been prepared. Then just spoon the cooked meatballs directly into the sauce and simmer for 45 minutes.
Sauce:
Heat a large skillet over medium heat for 1 minute; add olive oil, anchovies, garlic, fennel seed and bay leaf; saute, breaking up the anchovy with a wooden spoon.
Add onion and fennel; cook 4-5 minutes until softened a bit. You don’t want color, so turn heat down if they are browning.
Add orange juice, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt and bay leaf; allow mixture to gently boil, until reduced by half.
Add crushed tomatoes; bring to a boil; allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
Add some fresh basil and rosemary to the sauce.
Add meatballs to the sauce; allow to simmer slowly for 45 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
Serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and chopped parsley over your favorite pasta or in a sandwich.