Happy New Year's Eve Meat Balls!

I've always liked all beef meat balls...and any recipe for these have only developed or been modified over the years by my changing taste buds and any chef's desire to improve a recipe. A little more garlic, a little less garlic...fresh or powder, parsley or no parsley, bakery bread crumbs or store bought...seasoned or plain, ketchup (that's right, ketchup) or no ketchup, etc. etc.
Look at meatball recipes and you will see all of these ingredients used in one recipe or another.
For the first time ever I decided to try the traditional, some call authentic, recipe using blends of ground beef and veal OR beef, veal and pork.

The main reason I decided to blog this recipe out of all the other meatball recipes over the years was because 2 of our guests for this late night New Year's Eve dinner claimed not only were these the best meat balls they ever ate...they added the words "in my life"!
Adding those words meant something to me...and therefore I felt it was worthy enough to post for all eternity. Hopefully, your sentiments will be the same.

Ingredients:
2 lbs beef, veal, pork blend in equal amounts (beef & veal blend works fine)
2 whole eggs whisked
1 cup 4C no trans-fat seasoned Panko bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 cup corn oil
1 cup EVOO + 1 Tbsp.
1 large clove fresh pressed garlic
1 small to medium onion / coarse chopped
2 tsp. kosher salt
12 or so grinds fresh pepper
1/2 cup Heinz ketchup...that's right, ketchup!

Preparation:
*Sautee the onion and garlic in 1 Tbsp. EVOO* until transparent .
*Add to bread crumbs and mix until absorbed
*Add the meat and all the other ingredients
*Hand squeeze until mixed well and shape into golf ball size balls. Be gentle when rolling...do not hard pack
*Cook in corn oil/ EVOO* (blend using 1/2 cup of each oil per each of two batches) on both sides until brown...remove from oil and lay on paper towels to absorb excess oil
*Change the oil once...frying half the meatballs and repeating with new oil for the second batch.
(Suggestion:you can use the wiped dry empty can of tomatoes used to make your sauce to carefully pour out first round of hot oil)
*Do not add meatballs to the sauce. Serve along side your favorite pasta dish ladling sauce at that time
*EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil

That's it...Done! Simple!

Yield: About 35 meat balls
                       

                                                    As usual, your comments are welcome.
                                 Please feel free to comment below by clicking on "post a comment".

                                                        A Happy & Healthy 2013 to all!

                                                                      Mangia Baby
                                                                           Bert
                                                                  ps pix forthcoming