Gramma Mary's Meatballs

This is a fabulous meatball recipe. How I acquired the recipe is kind of funny. About 9 years ago I had to go to a black tie event with my husband. For whatever reason, I was seated next to this very italian Chicago lawyer. Back then I was teaching myself to cook and was always on the lookout for a good recipe. The lawyer and I started talking cooking. I discovered during the night that his gramma made unforgettable meatballs. I made a deal with him when I learned this, I'd swap my girlfriends cuban flan recipe for the meatball recipe. The next morning his secretary sent me an email with this recipe and I've made it at least monthly since then.

(can be multiplied with no changes, I always made a double batch)

1 lb ground beef (ground round 85%lean)

1/2 lb ground pork (not italian sausage)

1 tsp. salt

3/4 Cup grated romano cheese (use pecorino romano imported it's the best)

1 Cup saltine cracker crumbs (I used puffed rice or rice krispie cereal, gluten free)

3 eggs, slightly beaten (I never, ever beat them)

1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup milk

Place meat in mixing bowl an dmix them together. Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the eggs to the meat mixture. Fold the dry ingredients into the meat mixture. Add half the milk and mix. Add the rest of the milk.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cooking tips:

use an ice cream scoop to assure uniform size (occasionally dipping scooper in water helps meatballs roll in hand easier and with less sticking.)

The more hand pressure used the more dense the meatballs.

Place meatballs in a shallow roasting pan which has been sprayed with non stick spray or lined with parchment paper.

Place meatballs in pan (ensure enough space between meatballs so they may brown, cook 15 minutes per side.

Meatballs will flatten out a little while cooking.

Meatballs should be placed in sauce for at least 3/4 of an hour to affect the flavor of the sauce.

Meatballs may be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator or freezer to use at a later time.

Doubling or tripling the recipe and freezing the extras saves trouble for future.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, 15 minutes per side.

Stromboli

This is a big favorite in our house, although I don't make it very often because it takes a little more time. However, you can put it together it earlier in the day and then keep it in the fridge until you're ready to bake it. 

Pizza dough (Or buy two frozen pizza doughs at the grocery store):

1 1/3 c. warm water

2 1/2 tsp. yeast (or 1 package)

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 c. flour (I think it's worth using bread flour instead of all purpose; the texture of the dough is much more elastic-y. However, if you don't have it, use what you've got. I've also tried it substituting whole wheat flour. It doesn't work well if you substitute more than half.)

• Combine water, yeast oil, sugar and salt in mixing bowl. Add flour. Attached dough hook and turn on to lowest speed. Let combine and kneed for 6-7 minutes. Remove dough hook. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to double in size. Should take about one hour.
  

Filling:

1/2 lb. sliced ham

1/2 lb. sliced pepperoni or salami

(You can really use any meat you like. Hot Italian sausage, ground beef -- just make sure you cook it first.)

2 tbs. crushed garlic

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 Tbs. thinly sliced and seeded jalapenos

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, thinly sliced (you can substitute a green pepper, or use half of each)

olives (optional)

4 c. grated mozzarella 

1 c. grated parmesan

1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbs. water to make an egg wash

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet.
2. Cook onions, peppers and jalapenos until very soft, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning; stir and cook for one more minute. Remove from heat and cool.
3. Punch down dough and divide in half. On lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough to a large rectangle, about 10 by 14 inches. 
4. Spread half of the cooled onion/pepper across the dough leaving a 1-inch border. (If your kids aren't huge fans of cooked onions and peppers, leave half of the dough empty... you'll be rolling up the long side.)
5. Layer half of the ham, pepperoni, olives and mozzarella over the top. Using a pasty brush, paint one of the long side borders. Then starting on the opposite long side, roll up the dough into a cylinder, pinching the edges to seal. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining ingredients. 
6. Let the dough rise again, 20-30 minutes. 
7. Brush the top of each stromboli with egg wash. Bake until nearly completely golden brown and starting to crisp, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle each stromboli with Parmesan cheese and return to the oven until the cheese is melted and the dough is golden brown, about 5 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Slice thickly and serve. (Some people like to dip these in tomato sauce, like a calzone, but we prefer them without sauce.)