“Sunday Morning Coming Down: 2. The Gravy: Selecting the Meats.”
Meatballs aside, the recipe included here works with three pounds of meat.
But every family or group is different and the genius of cooking is the ability to tweak methods and ingredients to your taste.
The Gravy does well with many kinds of meat.
A variety lends complexity and richness.
A piece of beef and of pork are basic.
We’ll start with meat selections that require no preparation.
For beef, I like chuck.
Our butchers may give other suggestions.
Try each or any of them, one time or another.
Everyone has her own preferences.
For pork, a piece of butt works. And it makes attractive, non-fatty slices for eating.
I also always add a single Hot Italian Pork Sausage.
I like what the sausage seasonings add to The Gravy.
But for flavor and eating, pork spare ribs are my favorite.
So fatty.
And canine-like – I can worry the bones.
I am a certified bone ripper and sucker.
After the pork and beef issues are settled, what about adding more esoteric cuts like
pig’s foot or chicken feet?
At the least, you get that extra flavor; that extra opulence from their fats.
And for bone pickers? Amazing.
With cartilage to rip and chew and soft bones to crunch and suck.
If using one of these esoterica, add an extra half-hour to the cooking time.
Meatballs, front and center.
So intertwined with The Gravy are meatballs that the popular American name for the dish is “Spaghetti and Meatballs.”
No prob.
We understand.
You want to start a family feud?
Tell an Italo that your mother’s meatballs are the best.
Goodbye.
Nothing else to be said.
Don’t bother coming to the christening.
Amazingly, the ingredients are pretty well agreed on.
At least two, ground beef and ground pork, meat types, with a sizeable minority adding ground veal to the mix.
Equal parts.
Then add an egg or two, a handful of freshly-grated breadcrumbs, or two, a handful of grated Romano cheese, or two, pressed garlic or two, fresh Italian parsley and/or basil, salt, and freshly-grated pepper.
Now I’m going to present to our blog and website a precisely measured meatball recipe.
But we won’t make the mistake of thinking this definitive.
The recipe a start.
When we eat our own meatballs we must question ourselves.
Softer or harder? More egg makes them harder.
Meatier or more tender? Breadcrumbs and cheese soften the balls.
Saltier?
More pork or beef?
85% or 80% beef?
Lots of tweaking; every time we make them.
For the starting meatball recipe: