Go Back
–+ servings

Marisa's Mystical Meatballs

Marisa says she usually uses cross-cut beef shank for the meatballs. When we made them, she also had a piece of beef she bought for soup so we used both. In the end, we got ½ pound of cooked beef, with fat and gristle removed. Adjust the proportion of the other ingredients if you get substantially more or less cooked beef. If you want to use just cross-cut beef shank, I would try about 2 ½-3 lbs. The beef is boiled and then finely chopped to make the meatballs, giving you the opportunity to make a really nice beef broth with just a few minutes more work.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 16 meatballs
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef and Broth
  • 10 ounces stewing beef
  • 14 ounces cross-cut beef shank
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 1 large onion sliced
  • 3-4 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5-6 sprigs parsley leaves and tender stems only
  • 1 piece Parmesan cheese rind
  • 1/3 cup red wine
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 2 whole cloves
Meatballs
  • 1/2 cup parsley leaves and tender stems only, lightly packed
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 6 medium russet potatoes approximately 2 pounds
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 2 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
  • fine dry breadcrumbs
  • neutral oil such as corn or canola, for frying

Method
 

Beef and Broth
  1. Cross-cut beef shank.
  2. Put the meat and all other broth ingredients in a large stock pot.
  3. Cover with abundant cold water.
  4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 4-6 hours, until the meat is very tender.
  5. Remove and cool the beef.
  6. Strain the broth and reserve for another use.
Meatballs
  1. Remove fat, gristle and bone from beef. You should have approximately ½ pound of cooked beef.
  2. Cook the unpeeled potatoes in boiling water until you can easily pierce them with the tines of a long fork or paring knife, 20-25 minutes.
  3. Remove the potatoes from the water and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, mince the garlic or grate it on a microplane grater.
  5. Combine beef, parsley and garlic in a food processor. Process until finely chopped.
  6. Peel the slightly cooled potatoes. If they are too cool it will be difficult to rice them.
  7. Pass the potatoes through a ricer.
  8. Combine the beef mixture with the potatoes, nutmeg, allspice, salt and black pepper.
  9. Mix well with a large spoon or your hands.
  10. Add the lightly beaten eggs.
  11. Mix well using your hands.
  14. Form the mixture into 16 balls and then flatten them slightly.
  15. Lightly roll the meatballs in fine dry breadcrumbs.
  17. Pour ⅛ inch of oil into a large sauté pan.
  18. Heat the oil on medium-high heat.
  19. Fry the meatballs in two batches, on medium-high, flipping once, until brown.
  20. Drain on paper towels.
  21. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Copyright © 2018 by VillaSentieri.com. All rights reserved.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!