Italian Meatballs Recipe
by an Italian Mamma 

Meatballs are a beloved dish in Venice, Italy, and this Italian meatballs recipe is as authentic as it gets. It's made exactly the way my mother prepares it, and you can't get more authentic than that. That's my mamma and me in the photo. Enjoy a taste of Venice straight from our family kitchen!

I remember running in after school and getting a whiff of the simmering meatballs. Straight away, I tried to sneak a taste, only to be shooed away by my mamma with her wooden spoon. She always had a big smile on her face; she loved that we loved every mouthful of the delicious dishes she prepared.

The problem was that if you didn't finish your plate, then you would really hear it. I got to say, though, that it never happened much. With my mamma's cooking, one plate was NEVER enough!

My skinny husband could never get enough, and boy, can he eat. It was an epic battle—my mamma trying to fatten him up with plates stacked high and him happy for her to bring it on. It was like one of those eating contests; neither would give up. Much to my mother's embarrassment, though, he never seemed to get any fatter.

Buon appetito
Maria

The way I like my meatballs, with a tomato sauce, was once not that common in my region of Italy, the Veneto; however, now you will find tomato sauces to be extremely popular throughout all of Italy.

If you'd like a simple tomato sauce recipe that you can adapt to use with your meatballs simply by leaving out the Parma ham, then check out this one.

Let's get on with the meatballs recipe then...

Ingredients

Instructions

• Soak the pieces of bread in 1/2 cup of milk for 5 minutes, then squeeze them dry. In a large mixing bowl, combine the soaked bread, the beaten egg, and the other ingredients.

• Knead the mixture with both hands or beat with a wooden spoon; hands are better, as my mamma will gladly tell you. Keep at it until all the ingredients are well blended and the mixture is smooth and fluffy.

• Shape into balls about 1 and a half inches round. Lay the meatballs out on a baking tray, cover them with plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour.

• Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet. Fry the meatballs over a moderately high heat; keep the balls rolling all the time and keep them round.

• In 8−10 minutes, the meatballs should be brown outside and show no trace of pink inside.

• Add more oil to the skillet as needed. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly.

As I mentioned at the top of the page, I serve mine with a tomato-based sauce, but I leave the choice of sauce up to you. You can use this one if you like - leaving out the Parma ham.

Enjoy your Italian meatballs recipe.

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