Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Tyler and Agdah's meatballs

Tyler and Agdah's meatballs

I’m sure that most of you have your favorite meatball recipe – perhaps even a family classic. But these were such a hit at home I had to share them with you.

My dear fellow Brazilian blogger Adgah posted these meatballs a while ago and they looked so delicious – the exact kind of food Joao is crazy for. She adapted this recipe, from Tyler Florence, and I followed her version (which is the one I’m posting here).
I had a few myself and the mix of cooked onions, parsley and basil gives the meatballs a wonderful flavor – not to mention that melting cheese is always a winner in my book.

And I was right about Joao – he loved these.

Tyler and Agdah's meatballs

Tyler and Agdah's meatballs

olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed*
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves
a handful of basil, chopped
1 cup (240ml) milk
2 very thick slices firm white bread, crusts removed – I used whole wheat bread
1kg ground beef
1 large egg
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g mozzarella cheese, cut into chunks – I used the yellow mozzarella we have here, made from cow’s milk and used as pizza topping

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley and cook until the vegetables are soft but still translucent, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool.

Pour enough milk over the bread in a bowl to moisten and let it soak while the onions are cooling. Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and parmesan and season generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add that to the bowl along with the cooled onion mixture. (Hang onto the pan - you'll need it to cook the meatballs.) Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands or with a spoon until just mixed together. Don't overwork or the meatballs will be tough. Divide into 10 equal pieces and shape them into 10 nice looking meatballs.

Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF.

Heat a bit of olive oil in the frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, about 10 minutes – be careful not to tear them apart. Put them into a baking dish and bake until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

* instead of the cloves, I used a garlic infused olive oil I made a couple of weeks ago (I got the idea from one episode of "Nigella Express")

Makes 10 – I used 1 heaping tablespoon of beef mixture to format each meatball and got 40; half of them were eaten fresh and the others were frozen (while still raw).

22 comments:

Manggy said...

I noticed your pics have just gotten better and better! New camera?

I love meatballs! I'll have mine smothered in marinara sauce, heh heh :)

LyB said...

Those look fabulous Patricia! I totally agree with you, that melted cheese peeking out of the meatballs definitely puts these over the top!

Anonymous said...

They look fabulous Patricia, so yummy and I bet the melting cheese really does make them that 100% extra special.

Silvia - Magnolia Wedding Planner said...

Hi! They really look delicious!
It's strange but in the world the most famous italian recipe is meatball but actually it's a very spread recipe!
I never eat for example and never had a family recipe for preparing them! :-D It's good to see that your are so gorgeous ..maybe I should try :-P
Silvia

Deborah said...

Yes, there are many meatball recipes...and I want to try all of them! This one looks like a true winner!

KJ said...

YUM, is all I can say!!

Anonymous said...

These look fabulous! I love Tyler Florence too, everything he makes is always the ultimate!

Peter M said...

Patricia, all you have to do is tell a man to close his eyes & open wide. Any doubt in his mind will vanish when you say , "incoming meatball"!

Peter G | Souvlaki For The Soul said...

Great meatballs Patricia! Always a winner in every household! Love the mozzarella chunks through them.

Cynthia said...

I am a big fan ot Tyler's food.

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

I'll bet these would taste pretty good with ground turkey, too. Who doesn't love meatballs???!

Texas Travelers said...

.
Greetings from Texas.

Great recipe blog.
I came over from:
http://docesencontros.blogspot.com/

I have added your English version to my new Cooking and Gardening Blog roll.

I think cooking and gardening goes well with Nature.

Come visit,
Troy and Martha
.

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

I like the variety of herbs in this recipe - and the photos are excellent!

Anonymous said...

I love meatballs, and yours look great! just the way I like them:) this recipe is very similar to what we make in Azerbaijan. I guess it is more of a universal food than regional now:) Great recipe!

PS 1: I just awarded you! Please check my blog for details!

PS2: I just noticed you were not in my blogroll althought I thought I had added you long ago. Bad Farida:) You are in now:) I love your blog!

Renee said...

There is nothing that makes a house smell better than meatballs cooking. All those flavors melding together, it's heavenly. Yours look delicious!

Anonymous said...

This is definitely making me wonder why I haven't made meatballs in so long!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Mark, it's the same old camera I have been using for the last 2 years - thank you, my dear friend!

LyB, I'm a cheeseaholic. :)

Kitchen Goddess, and they are easy to make!

Silvia, you definitely should, sweetie!
xoxo

Deb, these are great!

KJ, thank you, darling!

Cathy, I did not know him, but now I want to look for more of his recipes!

Pete, you've said it all. ;)

Pete, my husband loved these, too!

Cynthia, I think I'll become a fan of his recipes, too. :)

Lydia, I think you are right!

Troy and Martha, tks for stopping by!

T.W., the herbs add such a nice touch to the beef.

Farida, thank you, darling! I'll be checking the award.

Nan, tks for visiting!

Chocolate Shavings, you should! :)

Sarah said...

Yum. I haven't had a good meatball in a really long time. I'll have to give these a shot.

Cassandra said...

I've just discovered your blog so just wanted to say hi. These meatballs look simple to make & yet delicious. I'll definitely try them out (I love meatballs & love trying different recipes for them).

Best wishes from far away! (from London)
Cassandra xxx

Patricia Scarpin said...

Dear Cassandra,
Thank you so much for your words! I'm glad to find out I have a new reader - especially such a generous one.

Warm hugs all the way from Brazil,
Patricia.

Jaime said...

the addition of fresh basil sounds great! i have always used dried...

Anonymous said...

I've been scrolling down the page drooling at all of your food, but I just couldn't go past these meatballs. Definitely one to try in the next few weeks :)

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