A Huge beef, pork and veal meatball with pecorino-romano and mushroom duxelle
Author:Tim
Prep Time:30
Cook Time:45
Total Time:1 hour 15 minutes
Yield:6-8 1x
Ingredients
Scale
Olive oil
2/3 lb ground veal
2/3 lb ground beef – 80 to 85% lean
2/3 lb ground pork
1/2 lb porcini or baby bella mushrooms
1 yellow onion – diced
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 pinch crushed red pepper
2 large eggs – lightly beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup grated pecorino romano cheese + more for garnish
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
Pomodoro sauce – get the recipe HERE
16 oz whipped ricotta cheese – garnish
Olive oil – garnish
Grated pecorino romano – garnish
Basil leaves – garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°
Place 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil a large saute pan, add the onion and bring to a medium low heat. Season generously with salt and pepper, cover and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, stir every 2 minutes to prevent burning the onions. Next, add the garlic, stir cover and cook 1 more minute. Add the mushrooms, stir, cover and cook about 7-8 minutes. The mushrooms should be very soft. Uncover, add the red pepper, stir and saute for another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool
When cool, transfer the mushroom mixture to a food processor and process for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and process for 1 more minute until you have a homogenous puree and set it aside
Combine the ground beef, eggs, mushroom duxelle, cheese, parsley, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Mix by hand and season with salt, mixing a little more. Add the milk, mix and test making a ball. The finished mixture should be wet, but hold together well enough to remain round. If it is too wet, add 1 more tablespoon of bread crumbs and mix a final time.
Divide into 8 equal portions and hand form into tennis balls, about 2.5 inches in diameter
Coat a large non-stick sauté pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in batches 2 or 3 at a time on all sides. Place them on a sheet pan and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through
Reheat the pomodoro sauce in a large saucepot, place the meatballs in the pot and and gently coat them in the sauce.
Place a large dollop of whipped ricotta in a shallow bowl and place the meatball next to the ricotta. Pour another spoonful of Pomodoro sauce over the meatball and drizzle olive oil over the meatball and the ricotta. Garnish with a spoon of pecorino-romano and basil