Meatballs. Not the movie.

Here’s a recipe I pulled out of the April 2008 edition of Gourmet (R.I.P.) I have always wanted to make real Italian meatballs and this recipe sounded like it fit the bill. Sadly, to me, it did not. The meatballs are good but I think there is too much bread and they are lacking something I can’t put my finger on. The recipe was sent in by a reader to honor his grandfather.  I served the meatballs with my own homemade sauce and homemade pasta.

I actually had some of these last night. Eric loves them but they're not my favorite, so I am going to put these on my "Not a Keeper" list.

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My grandfather, Angelo “Squatty” Coschignano, ran the Fort Salonga Inn, on Long Island, for 35 years. Growing up, I spent long hours in the kitchen with him and eventually created a sauce that would complement his most famous dish. After he passed away last September, our family decided that sending Gourmet his recipe would be the best way to memorialize him.

-William “Billy” Woerner

New York City

Angelo “Squatty” Coschignano’s Meatballs

Serves 6 to 8

Active Time: 1 hour

Start to Finish: 2 ½ hours

Three types of meat give these legendary meatballs a succulent depth of flavor. Top them with Billy Woerner’s rich, bacon-studded sauce (see recipe at gourmet.com) to create a truly out-of-this-world version of the classic Italian dish.

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 (1-lb) loaf stale Italian bread, crust discarded

1 ½ cups whole milk

¾ lb ground veal

½ lb ground pork

½ lb ground beef chuck

2 tablespoons chopped basil

1 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/3 cup Italian seasoned fine dry bread crumbs

1 large egg

½ cup olive oil

1 qt. tomato sauce

- Preheat oven to 375° with rack in middle.

- Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt.

- Tear bread into large pieces, then soak in milk until very soft, about 5 minutes. Squeeze out and discard excess milk.

- Mix together bread, garlic paste, 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and remaining ingredients except oil in a large bowl with your hands, breaking up any large pieces of bread, until combined well. Form meat mixture into 18 (2-inch) balls with dampened hands. I made smaller meatballs and froze most of them. Place meatballs on a baking sheet, freeze, then place frozen meatballs in a Ziploc bag. You can take out however many you need for dinner.

That's alotta meatballs!

- Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown meatballs in 2 batches, turning frequently, 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels. Instead of frying, these can also be baked on a baking sheet.

- Arrange meatballs in 1 layer in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Cover with sauce, then cover dish tightly with foil and bake until meatballs are cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Note: Meatballs in sauce keep, covered and chilled, 3 days.

Homemade meatballs, sauce & pasta