3 in 1 Meatballs

 

You know the old saying 'make hay while the sun shines'? Well, my motto is 'cook as much and as fast as you can while the boy is not screaming and crying'. If it's a good day and there are no meltdowns on the horizon, I'll ofen try to cook several meals at once, like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter.

Two weeks ago I decided to make Italian Wedding Soup (thanks Giada) I didn't notice it until I was ready to cook, but the recipe only calls for 1/2lb of ground beef and 1/2 lb of ground pork. What to do with the rest of the beef and pork? Aha! In a fit of inspiration I decided to double the recipe for the meatballs that go in the soup, take the other half of the meat and make regular sized meatballs to be frozen and used at a later date.

Last night was that later date, and I made my favorite comfort food--spaghetti and meatballs. As a bonus, there were enough meatballs left over to have meatball subs today for lunch (notice a trend?) Luckily that should use up the rest of them, because I think we'll be all balled out at that point.

Here is the recipe for both the soup and the extra meatballs:

Meatballs:
1 large onion, grated
2/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt (I personally didn't double the salt)
2 slices fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
Freshly ground black pepper

Soup:
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Divide the mixture in half.

To make the soup meatballs: using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.

To make large meatballs: using the other half of the mixture, divide into approx. 12-15 larger meatballs. Heat approx. 4-5 T of olive oil in a pan over med. heat (I use a free standing skillet and set it at 350). Fry the meatballs until they are lightly browned all over, turning several times while cooking. Do not over brown or the outside will get tough. Take out of pan and drain on paper towels--they will still be slightly underdone and pink inside. Finish cooking them by placing in a pot of spaghetti sauce over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until no longer pink inside. This can either be done immediately, or at a later date after the meatballs have been frozen and then defrosted.

Meatball subs:
If you have any meatballs and sauce left over, heat them up in the microwave or in a pot over medium heat. After warmed, place the meatballs and sauce on an Italian roll/sub roll/hoagie roll and place on a baking sheet seem side down with the meatballs facing straight up. Sprinkle shredded mozzarealla cheese on top and place in the oven with the broiler on low. Watch carefully and toast for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the bread is slightly toasted.

To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.