Carmine's Family Style Italian Restaurant is known for their delicious meatballs! In honor of National Meatball Day, Executive Chef Ford Barsi is sharing the famous recipe for Carmine's meatballs!
Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs - ground beef such as chuck with 20% fat
½ - lb ground veal
2 – large eggs, beaten
¼ - cup bread crumbs
3 – TBLS chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 – TBLS chopped fresh basil
1 – TBLS salt
1 – tsp finely chopped garlic
¼ - tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 – slices firm white bread, crusts removed
1 – cup milk
1- cup grated Romano cheese
2 – tsp olive oil
1 – large Spanish onion, peeled & thinly sliced
1- TBLS chopped garlic
(Makes about 12 meatballs)
Instructions:
1. In large mixing bowl, use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix together the beef, veal and eggs. Add the bread crumbs, parsley, basil, salt, garlic and pepper and mix well.
2. Tear bread into pieces and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add milk and let it sit for 5-7 minutes or until milk is nearly absorbed. Add the bread to the meat and use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix it well. Stir in the grated cheese.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the meat is firm.
4. Using an ice cream scoop remove chunks of meal and roll them between dampened palms into meatballs each weighing about 3 ounces. Refrigerate the meatballs for at least 10 minutes before proceeding with recipe.
5. To sauté meatballs, heat one teaspoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot add the meatballs and cook them for about 10 minutes turning them until they are browned on all sides. Transfer them to a platter and set aside.
6. In the same pan heat the remaining teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high eat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté them for 8-10 minutes until they are browned.
7. Meanwhile in a large pot large enough to hold all meatballs heat marinara sauce over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes or until sauce starts to boil. Add onions and garlic.
8. Add the browned meatballs and any accumulated juices and cook them over medium heat for about 45 minutes. Do not cover them when cooking. Remove them, from the heat and set them aside for about 45 minutes until they have ample time to mellow and the flavors of the sauce and meat intermingle.
9.To store the meatballs, let them cool in the sauce. Transfer them to a tightly lidded storage container and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze them for up to a month.
Carmine's Marinara Sauce:
Ingredients:
Three 26-28 ounce cans Italian Plum tomatoes
¼ - cup olive oil
¼ - cup coarsely chopped garlic (about 12 cloves)
12 – fresh basil leaves, sliced
2 – tsp chopped flat leaf parsley
1 – tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
(Makes about 5 cups)
Directions:
1. Drain the tomatoes in a colander set in a large bowl for 5 minutes. Reserve the drained liquid.
2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook it, stirring for about 5 minutes or until it is golden brown. If the garlic starts to cook too quickly reduce the heat.
3. Add the basil, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Cook the mixture for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, increase the heat to high and cook for 5 minutes using a wooden spoon or long-handled fork to break up tomatoes or until tomatoes boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes break down.
4. Add the reserved tomato liquid. Increase the heat to high and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil it for about 12 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Stir it occasionally and scrape the bottom of the pan to prevent sauce from burning.
5. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside for about an hour until it cools to room temperature. Transfer to a tightly covered storage container and refrigerate for up to one week or freeze for up to one month.
For more information about Carmine's in Washington, D.C., check out their website at www.carminesnyc.com.
