Ninya's Meatballs
Makes 12 to 16 meatballs
2 pounds ground meat. Use 1 pound sirloin and 1 pound chuck for the right fat-to-lean ratio, though 2 pounds ground round also works. Substitute up to 1 pound ground pork if desired.
2 small garlic cloves, grated
Sprig of parsley, chopped finely
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated Romano cheese
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
3 extra-large or 4 large eggs
Very cold water, as needed
Canola oil for frying
To mix ingredients, wash but do not dry hands; the meat will mix and roll better if your hands are wet.
In a large, bowl, add meat and all remaining ingredients except eggs. While mixing with your hands, lift the mixture from the bottom of the bowl often so you get it all blended. Add the eggs one at a time, breaking them directly into the mix.
Cold water is a secret ingredient that makes the meatballs nice and moist. Add it sparingly, no more than a tablespoon at a time, in order to get the mixture soft, but don’t overdo this, or else it will be too mushy. Be sure to mix well, so all the ingredients are very evenly distributed.
Roll the mixture into meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball. Place rolled meatballs on a platter.
To fry, generously coat the bottom of a 12-inch frying pan with canola oil. When the oil starts to shimmer but not yet smoke, add meatballs, frying in batches if necessary or if you have a smaller frying pan. Do not overcrowd the pan, as this will cause the meatballs to steam, not brown.
Once brown, turn and continue cooking. The trick is to get them nice and brown; the crispy outside is what makes them taste extra special. Ideally, they should be crispy outside and soft on the inside. They will not be fully cooked through at this point.
If serving the meatballs in a sauce, place them in the simmering sauce of choice after browning, to finish cooking. Stir to incorporate and let cook, checking a meatball's internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer until it is at least 160 degrees.
Meatballs in sauce go well over spaghetti, penne, ravioli, stuffed shells or manicotti.
To serve as a side dish or in a meatball sub, they must be cooked to 160 degrees. The easiest way to do this is finish in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, either in a large frying pan if all of the meatballs fit at once or on a rimmed sheet pan. After they have finished cooking, remove to a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil before proceeding.
For a great meatball hero, get a loaf of crispy Italian bread, scoop out the middle, cut the meatballs in half and generously place on the bread. Eat plain, line with sauce, or add sauce and mozzarella and put under an oven broiler until cheese is melted.