Visaggio's Meatballs D'Abruzzo
Visaggio's is a wonderful family-owned Italian restaurant in the Harrisburg area. A few years ago, there was a feature article about the restaurant in the Harrisburg Patriot-News, and this recipe was included. It has since become "MY" meatball recipe!
Visaggio's is a wonderful family-owned Italian restaurant in the Harrisburg area. A few years ago, there was a feature article about the restaurant in the Harrisburg Patriot-News, and this recipe was included. It has since become "MY" meatball recipe!
- 2 extra large eggs
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1/4 lb. pork sausage (i use sweet italian)
- 1 small onion (minced very fine)
- 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (unflavored)
- 1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese (freshly grated)
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
- 1/8 cup dried parsley flakes
- Carbohydrate 5.10716137840941 g
- Cholesterol 81.8968130007999 mg
- Fat 7.53171341012892 g
- Fiber 0.455813395105089 g
- Protein 14.0346801973236 g
- Saturated Fat 3.02012333607279 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (83g)
- Sodium 218.955446524159 mg
- Sugar 4.65134798330432 g
- Trans Fat 0.941029738072646 g
- Calories 147 calories
Step-by-step
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix very well.
- Using about 2 ounces of meat mixture, roll meatballs at least one minute using firm pressure until they resemble small fuzzy tennis balls.
- The meatballs will be a bit smaller than a billiard ball.
- Place on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 350? for about 20 minutes, until small bubbles appear on the meatballs.
- Simmer in spaghetti sauce at least 4 hours.
Unlike a traditional Italian meatball relying strictly on all-beef blends, this recipe incorporates sweet Italian pork sausage to introduce higher fat content and complex seasoning notes. Mincing the small onion very fine prevents the raw vegetable chunks from disrupting the structural integrity of the formed spheres during rolling.
Rolling each two-ounce portion for a full minute using firm pressure develops a dense protein matrix resembling a fuzzy tennis ball. Baking these spheres at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for precisely twenty minutes renders excess surface fat before the final four-hour simmer in tomato sauce.
Extended simmering in acidic tomato sauce breaks down connective tissues, yielding a significantly more tender bite by hour four. Storing leftovers directly in the sauce overnight allows starches and proteins to absorb moisture fully, yielding a superior texture upon reheating.
Standard oven baking sheets work well, though a heavy rimmed cast-iron pan retains heat effectively if conventional baking sheets are unavailable. Precision matters less than maintaining consistent two-ounce portions to ensure even baking times across the entire batch.
