Guy Adami joined us for the latest business news, but we also got into National Meatball Day!
Now...It is National Meatball Day, and we know you've all been waiting for this...the recipe for Guy's Balls!
Here is the text of the email Guy sent us today detailing his personal recipe.
So EAT GUY'S BALLS!
Not to cast aspersions, but California is not exactly a bastion for fine Italian cuisine. With that said, allow me to share my recipe for the perfect meatball.
First and foremost, if there is a garlic press within 100 yards of you, stop reading. Now is the time for soul searching and reevaluating things on a multitude of levels. For everyone else, let's continue.
Despite the name, a meatball is not just a ball of meat. When properly constructed, a meatball is part meal, part art form, and part religious experience. Bearing that in mind, here we go.
For a dozen or so meatballs:
1/4 pound of ground veal
1/4 pound of ground pork
1/2 pound of ground beef
1 cup of breadcrumbs... now lets stop here. Do NOT go out and buy those fugazzi breadcrumbs in the circular canister. (If you are not certain of the meaning of "fugazzi" stop reading, and watch Donnie Brasco).
For the rest of you, we are going to make our own breadcrumbs. Go to your favorite bakery, pick out a nice loaf of Italian bread and head home. Allow it to sit for 2 or 3 days. With a cheese grater, go to town on said loaf. For the ambitious, I like to add a little Parmesan cheese to the finished product, but that's me. Editors note - stale Wonder Bread ain't cuttin' it.
Back to what you need:
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon of parsley
1 Cup of warm water
1 clove of peeled garlic sliced paper thin (don't screw this up)
1/2 clove of minced garlic. If you don't know what "minced" is, stop reading.
1 Cup of virgin olive oil - I'm telling you now, if you think you are going to substitute Wesson or some form of Canola oil instead, stop reading.
Pinch of salt, pepper and oregano
1/2 Cup of finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Much like the breadcrumbs, don't even think about using that canister cheese with the little spin top.
24 - 32 ounces of Marinara sauce. This requires another recipe for another time, but I digress. Just have it ready in a large pot.
Now get yourself a large bowl.
Throw in your three meats, your egg, cheese, minced garlic, salt, pepper, oregano.
With YOUR HANDS and not some metal spatula, mix it all together. Don't be shy, get in there and mix. Next, add in your homemade breadcrumbs and your cup of warm water. DO NOT DOUSE! - Go easy, it's a process. Continue to mix until we have a uniform giant meatball in our large bowl.
From that mixture, start making your individual meatballs. In terms of size, each meatball should be somewhere between a golf ball and a lacrosse ball. If you don't know what a lacrosse ball is, stop reading. If it is the size of a baseball, throw it back in the bowl and start again. If you don't know what a baseball is, then I can't help you... at all.
Next, pull out a large frying pan.
Add your virgin olive oil and your razor thin garlic. Heat until things get interesting, but not smoking or boiling.
Add your meatballs CAREFULLY, one by one. Be gentle. Cook until the bottoms are slightly brown, then turn over and repeat.
As gently as you added the meatballs to the frying pan, remove them the same way and place them on a paper towel covered tray.
Your temptation will be to try one at this point - RESIST! - Show some will power will ya. You've come this far.
Finally, take each meatball and CAREFULLY place them into a large pot of Marinara sauce that has been simmering with medium heat.
Cook at the same heat for about 30 minutes and you are in business.
I hope you have enjoyed today's class. I know I have!