Well, I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t one of the most anticipated national food days for the blog thus far. To be fair though, I hadn’t really ever followed national food days until a few months ago. So, it’s not like I’ve been lying-in-wait with this recipe. In fact, I had totally planned on making something else featuring meatballs, but another major food site put out what I wanted to do a few weeks ago, so I had to go back to the drawing board. Since it’s National Women’s Month, and yesterday was National Women’s Day, I figured I’d just ask my mom for her recipe, and feature her...as if it was that easy.
Mangia McCann's mama is pictured next-to-right, holding the fork.
Italians don’t really do “recipes”. In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s why I’m better at cooking than baking. It’s damn near inherent. You just put a little bit of this in, followed by a dash of that. Add a couple swirls of olive oil. Make a sauce and put a little water in the can, swirl it around and add it to the pot of cooking vegetables. Don’t forget you need a pinch of spice and a fistful of herbs. Having to measure, so I can provide recipes, is a new thing for me. I seriously just had to run swirls over a bowl, but into a measuring cup, because I didn’t measure earlier while cooking! It still was an "imperfect" amount, in terms of measurement; not application.
So, I just asked my mom about the process to make sure I remembered everything correctly. It was kind of embarrassing. I have a food blog. I know how to make a meatball. But, details matter. In fact, I tried something new on this recipe with an ingredient I’m usually loath to use. It worked out great, giving the meatball a nice extra “crust” as compared to the other meatball I made without it - it's really tough taste-testing meatballs, I tell ya. I also timed out the cooking of a meatball perfectly so you don’t have to make/use a panade - a concept that always grossed me out. Finally, I also borrowed from a couple of my prior entries to pull off the complete dish. So, without further ado, I give you the ever most delicious open faced meatball sandwich I’ve ever had.
Meatballs on Polenta Bread
You can serve this on homemade focaccia, or store-bought Italian loaf options. But, it really sings on this thick-sliced polenta loaf. You can get the recipe for that, here. Just make sure the loaf has fully cooled before slicing.
Sauce
Extra-virgin olive oil
Small onion
Tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
Red pepper flakes
28 oz can of imported whole peeled tomatoes.
Balsamic vinegar
Meatballs - makes about 15
Oil for pan frying
1 lb meatloaf mix
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Parsley
1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese
Seasoned, fine bread crumbs
Ricotta Whip
2 cups ricotta con latte
1.5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 handfuls of basil leaves, chiffonade cut
Freshly ground black pepper
Other
Rustic Italian Loaf
Extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic
Thinly sliced provolone cheese
Basil, for garnish
Sauce
Heat a 1/4 cup of evoo in a pot over medium heat. Mince the onion and add to the pot along with a pinch of salt. Sauté until the onion has softened, then stir in 1.5 tsp of tomato paste until fully incorporated. Stir in the minced garlic and a pinch of red pepper flake until fragrant. Then add in the tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon. Put a little water in the empty can, swirl it around and pout the water into the sauce. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat so it gently simmers. Partially cover the pot and prepare the meatballs.
Meatballs
While the sauce simmers, add the meat to the bowl along with the lightly beaten eggs. Rip a handful of parsley leaves, chop and add to the bowl along with ½ cup of grated cheese, a pinch of kosher salt and some black pepper. Gently mix with your hands, incorporating everything but not over-working the meat. Then form small meatballs, about 2 inches wide and set aside.
Fill a bowl or plate with some breadcrumbs and roll the balls in the crumbs, coating them evenly and set the balls aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cover the bottom of a non-stick skillet with oil, and preheat the pan over medium-high heat. Add in half of the balls, reduce the heat to medium, and brown the meat all over, cooking the meatballs for 6 minutes. When the meatballs are cooked, add them to the sauce to finish cooking and to soak up some of the sauce. Repeat with the remaining meatballs.
Dish Preparation
While the meatballs and sauce simmer away on the stove, slice your bread into 1” thick slices. Place them on a baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the middle of the oven for 8 minutes to dry out. Then, cut a garlic clove in half and rub it all over the baked bread. Place it back in the oven for about 6 minutes until toasted. Remove from the oven, adjust the rack to the upper third and turn on the broiler.
Meanwhile, in a small sauce pot, pour in 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar and reduce by boiling down rapidly to about half the original amount. Then, pour the reduced balsamic vinegar over the meatballs and sauce in the pot, stirring gently to incorporate. Cover the pot, remove from the heat and let sit for a few minutes.
In a bowl, whisk the ricotta with the evoo until light and whipped. Then gently stir in the basil and some freshly cracked black pepper.
To assemble: Spread the herbed ricotta on the toasted bread slices. Top with 2 or three meatballs and some sauce. Split a slice of provolone and place each half over the meatballs. Repeat with remaining bread slices and meatballs.
Place the baking sheet, with the assembled open-faced sandwiches, under the broiler and cook for about 2 minutes. You may need to rotate the pan halfway through. Garnish with some fresh basil and scream out RUSTICA!
______________________________ Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.