# Italian american meatballs



## kbuff (Jun 20, 2014)

I need to entertain a guy that could be possibly my client. I wanted to prepare something he knows so he can see my "genius". I want to do meatballs. I wanted to do them with some natural aspic cooked out of chicken feet and I want to use bread soaked in buttermilk. I also decided to add some fried pancetta, etc. I have a misgivings about ricotta. I am sure I want to use it, but am not sure whether just for the sauce or also in the meatballs. Sauce BTW I want' to make simple. And I want to use a lot of parsley, oregano, and maybe a pinch of tarragon. Any feedback greatly appreciated. 

Thanks.


----------



## cerise (Jul 5, 2013)

Hope I'm not late for the meatball party.  Sounds interesting.  I like ricotta in the mbs, but think they may be too wet w the buttermilk soaked bread. Give it a try.  I would cook up one mb to see how you like the "mix" first. Then make any adjustments, if needed.


----------



## canele (Apr 7, 2015)

my best advice.... do NOT serve anything you have not dry run and taste tested.

make a batch well before you are having said meatball party..... test them, taste them, tweak them.


----------



## kbuff (Jun 20, 2014)

Thank you, Cerise,

I did the meatballs, added ricotta, and buttermilk soaked bread. They were very good, a bit wet, but I liked them that way. I also added some refrigerated naturally made aspic (from chicken feet), but it was I think it was not necessary (and I made a mistake to add spice to aspic - it should be basically just plain, if used at all)

But the I didn't like the sauce. I added ricotta to it, and I just didn't like the look of it (may look not appetizing to some people(?), I think I would need to mix this first). Also, the sauce was a little too sour, Maybe not too sour, but to just plain sour, no depth. I added pecorino/parmigiano combination which was good, before broiling it with pappardelle, and the melting cheese, but the melting cheese (I don't remember what I used) wasn't good - I would like it to be a bit more chewy/flavorful.

So the good: meatballs, the bad - sauce and the melting cheese.Sauce too flatly just sour, and the cheese not chewy/*flavorful* enough.

Any tips. Thanks a lot.


----------



## cerise (Jul 5, 2013)

I was thinking along the line of Meatballs in Sunday Gravy

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/...a-and-anna-and-frankies-meatballs-recipe.html


----------



## cerise (Jul 5, 2013)

Canele said:


> my best advice.... do NOT serve anything you have not dry run and taste tested.
> 
> make a batch well before you are having said meatball party..... test them, taste them, tweak them.


? You just reworded and repeated what I already said. Do you have something to contribute the this "recipe" / query?


----------



## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

You should be flattered rather than offensive.


----------



## cerise (Jul 5, 2013)

BrianShaw said:


> You should be flattered rather than offensive.


Believe it or not, I spent some time trying to understand and Help the OP. The query had gone unanswered for about a week. Maybe I'm gullible. But, to pop in and repeat the same thing is not thinking anything out - nor is it flattering or an offensive reply on my behalf. Is there a full moon out lately?


----------



## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Yes, you helped and, no, you're not gullible. But to challenge someone else's posting because you don't think it is unique or helpful enough is just rude. 

The full moon was last week I believe.

Have a nice day!


----------



## bob hyneman (Apr 17, 2015)

The key to meatballs is not to pack them too tightly.


----------



## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

BTW, I was going to recommend entertaining a potential client in a neutral environment rather than at home (too many chances of mixed signals) and seek a good cookbook... But you might consider that an inadequate response so I refrained.


----------



## bob hyneman (Apr 17, 2015)

Apparently there is more going on her than cooking talk, but yes the full moon was last week.


----------



## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

I don't know if the OP will come back. Will someone explain the aspic. Did they try to use it as a binder? Dip the cooked meatball in it for looks? I used aspic a long time ago in Garde Manger. Is it a popular thing now? I still see it sometimes on dishes for flavor and such in some classical restaurants. but not used for binding. Won't it melt again in the meatball? I'm so confused.


----------



## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

I'm thinking the idea was gelatin to help improve mouth feel, but just a guess.


----------



## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Oh, no wonder they came out a little wet. I like meatballs soft so I cook them in the sauce. They go in raw with the sausage. Food Safe? I don't know, Never got the rumbles from eating them. I do cool everything off quickly and reheat quickly.

I understand the soaking, I soak the bread and cheese. but aspic?/img/vbsmilies/smilies/crazy.gif


----------



## jake t buds (May 27, 2013)

Cerise said:


> Believe it or not, I spent some time trying to understand and Help the OP. The query had gone unanswered for about a week. Maybe I'm gullible. But, to pop in and repeat the same thing is not thinking anything out - nor is it flattering or an offensive reply on my behalf. Is there a full moon out lately?


I don't think the moon has anything to do with it. You chastised me because I quoted you in a way you didn't like. I agree with Brian.


----------



## bob hyneman (Apr 17, 2015)

Chefs and cooks talk about some weird stuff.  We must work for a living or something.

Anyway the key to meatballs is not to pack them too tightly.


----------



## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

One key, Bob. Only one key; there are others.


----------



## bob hyneman (Apr 17, 2015)

Brian, you are correct.


----------



## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Bob, You may be right. My uncle Tubba used to pack as many meatballs as he could in his mouth .. It was bad.


----------



## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Just don't make him laugh. Uncle Tubba, I mean.


----------



## jake t buds (May 27, 2013)

panini said:


> Bob, You may be right. My uncle Tubba used to pack as many meatballs as he could in his mouth .. It was bad.





BrianShaw said:


> Just don't make him laugh. Uncle Tubba, I mean.


Demosthenes would be proud.


----------



## cerise (Jul 5, 2013)

@kbuff.  Hope you will return, and let us know/share how it all turned out.   The "gelatinous" factor threw me, but it may very well be an outstanding superb approach, that I am unfamiliar with.  Hope it was a huge success.


----------



## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

OK, Demosthenes would be proud. ?

      Non capisco.   That's greek to me.


----------



## jake t buds (May 27, 2013)

panini said:


> OK, Demosthenes would be proud. ?
> 
> Non capisco. That's greek to me.


Demosthenes, a greek statesman and orator :

_As a boy Demosthenes had a speech impediment: Plutarch refers to a weakness in his voice of "a perplexed and indistinct utterance and a shortness of breath, which, by breaking and disjointing his sentences much obscured the sense and meaning of what he spoke."[sup][29][/sup] There are problems in Plutarch's account, however, and it is probable that Demosthenes actually suffered rhotacism, mispronouncing ρ (r) as λ (l).[sup][32][/sup] Aeschines taunted him and referred to him in his speeches by the nickname "Batalus",[sup][d][/sup] apparently invented by Demosthenes's pedagogues or by the little boys with whom he was playing.[sup][33][/sup] Demosthenes undertook a disciplined program to overcome his weaknesses and improve his delivery, including diction, voice and gestures.[sup][34][/sup] According to one story, when he was asked to name the three most important elements in oratory, he replied "Delivery, delivery and delivery!"[sup][35][/sup] It is unknown whether such vignettes are factual accounts of events in Demosthenes's life or merely anecdotes used to illustrate his perseverance and determination.[sup][36][/sup]_

_*He also used to talk with pebbles in his mouth* and recited verses while running.[sup][[/sup]_

Thus, the meatballs.


----------



## bob hyneman (Apr 17, 2015)

Should I assume the nickname "tubba" was an accident?


----------



## bob hyneman (Apr 17, 2015)

Oh and orator?  Well I can can "orate" like the best of them.  But don't bet your beans on it.


----------



## kbuff (Jun 20, 2014)

Hi Panini,

Sorry for not responding earlier, but I have some health issues. 

I don't use gelatin for aspic since my preference for more traditional ways. You can prepare aspic from several gelatinous ingredients. I like two of them:

1. Chicken feet, pigs feet, calves feet, etc

2. Fish heads (good for seafood, obviously)

You just cook them in water, and once the broth gets chilled is settles. I use fish aspic for cold stuffed pike in aspic, the other with many cold meat dishes, pates,etc.

I used chicken aspic (and made a mistake of seasoning it, maybe to aggressively) for meatballs to add juiciness (at least I though so). I took the rather thick (condensed aspic - you need to experiment), quite cold but not frozen (adds to its firmness),  chopped it and added to the meat mixture. Maybe it worked, but I'm not sure. As I said it might have been an overkill. And also, as I said, I would use neutral tasting aspic (not seasoned or very lightly seasoned, but no other spice, just salt and pepper).

Thank you all for all your comments.

My meat balls came out great. My sauce, as I said not so (too "flatly sour" and the look from ricotta not too appetizing).

Best

kbuff


----------



## hungrychef (Feb 1, 2015)

That sounds delicious! Never tried adding ricotta to my meat balls. Now I'm going to. Yum yum yum.


----------

