Max’s Meatballs, Chef de Cuisine, TAVOLO
Dorchester, MA
The Meat
3 lbs. ground beef and 1 lb. ground veal
Herb Bouquet
1 sprig each thyme, rosemary and sage tied together with twine and set aside.
Vegetable mixture
1/2 white onion chopped
1/2 celery stalk, rinsed and chopped
1/2 carrot (medium size), peeled and chopped
1/2 cup leek, washed and chopped
1/4 head fennel, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
6 garlic cloves
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp chili flakes
1/3 C dry white wine
Place all the veggies in a food processor and ‘pulse’ until quite fine. Place oil veggies, chili flakes and herb bouquet in a pot over medium heat, sweat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Deglaze pan with wine and cook until wine has almost completely evaporated. Toss bouquet and chill.
Breadcrumbs
1 cup plain breadcrumb and approx. 3/4 cup milk
Mix with your hands until crumbs are moist.
The Rest
4 eggs, cracked and beaten
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T ketchup
3 T parmesan, grated
2 T chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
In a big bowl combine, meat, veggies, crumbs, and ‘the rest’. Mix by hand until well incorporated. Over-mixing makes meatballs heavy. Roll into whatever size you prefer. Tavolo uses 1/4 lb. balls. Roast them on a cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes in a 450 degree oven, or, cook them for a few hours in marinara sauce. Serve with pasta, parmesan and chopped parsley.
