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Beef Meatballs with Ricotta and Basil

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Course Appetizers, Mains

Ingredients
  

Meatballs
  • Canola oil, for the broiler pan (we used a baking sheet)
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
  • 2 cups dried plain bread crumbs, or gluten free
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce, preferably Three Crabs
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino Romano
  • 3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Red Sauce
  • 3 tablespoons garlic oil *recipe below
  • 2/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 6 cloves garlic confit, chopped *recipe below
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 28 ounce can, crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Kosher salt
Garlic Confit and Garlic oil
  • 2 large, firm heads of garlic
  • 1 cup canola oil

Instructions
 

Meatballs

  • To make the meatballs: Lightly oil a broiler pan. Crumble the ground beef into a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, eggs, parsley, milk, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Romano, garlic, and pepper. Using your hands, mix well, but do not compact the mixture or the meatballs will be tough. Using about 3 tablespoons per meatball, shape into 24 equal balls and transfer to the prepared broiler pan.
  • Position the broiler rack about 6 inches away from the heat source and preheat the broiler in high.
  • Broil the meatballs, turning once or twice, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. If the meatballs are browning too quickly, move them farther away from the heat source.
  • For each serving, place 3 meatballs in a flameproof bowl or single serving skillet. Top with a spoonful of red sauce, and add a generous dollop of ricotta. Return to the broiler and heat until the ricotta melts, about 30 seconds. top each with a fresh basil leaf, drizzle with oil and serve.

Red Sauce

  • Heat the garlic oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is translucent but not browned, about 3 minutes.Stir in the garlic confit and pour in the wine.Increase the heat to high and boil until the wine is reduced by half, 3-5 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and let cool. Puree the mixture in a blender. Add the tomatoes and oregano and pulse just to combine.Season to taste with salt. (The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)

Garlic Confit and Garlic Oil

  • Using a sharp knife, peel each garlic clove, keeping it intact-do not smash thew garlic to loosen the peel.
  • Put the garlic in a large saucepan and add enough oil to cover it by about 1/2 inch. Heat over medium heat just until tiny bubbles start to form around the garlic cloves.Reduce the heat to very low. Cook, uncovered, without stirring, just until the garlic turns a darker shade of beige and is tender, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and let the garlic cool in the oil for 1-2 hours.
  • Using a wire spider of a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the garlic to a lidded container. Pour enough of oil over the garlic to cover the cloves, reserving the remaining oil for another use. Strain the garlic oil through a fine-mesh wire sieve into another lidded container. Cover the confit and oil and refrigerate for up to 1 month.