Papa Negri’s Meatballs
My dad learnt how to make these from his mother & this is how the whole Negri-family-from-Piacenza makes them, so who am I to break from tradition!
As with all recipes that are handed down through the generations, all the weights and measures were typically judged by eye & taste
I love making these meatballs & so in order to share this recipe, I managed to get some precise weights & measures directly from Papa Negri himself!👴
The secret to my Dad’s meatballs is the addition of finely chopped fresh rosemary - it really elevates the flavours. Try the recipe you’ll understand!
My top tip is to make sure the meatballs aren’t overcooked. The key is to sear them for 10 minutes & then use the last 10 minutes poaching them in the tomato sauce. Get this right and the results are perfect, plump, soft morsels.
Just sprinkle them with some fresh basil before serving & its up to you how how you want to eat them - on their own is good, with some pasta or with mashed potatoes.
These meatballs taste *even* better the day after. Why? Because all the flavours have all mingled together in that lovely sugo.
Take a look at my homemade focaccia stuffed with those reheated meatballs & melted mozzarella.
Mangia, mangia! 👩🏻🍳
Papa Negri’s Meatball recipe:
Meatballs:
450g minced beef (min 10% fat)
50g white bread - to be soaked in milk
2 garlic cloves minced
1 egg
2 tbsps grated parmesan
Large sprig of rosemary (leaves only) finely chopped to give you about 1-2 tbsps
2-3 tbsps chopped fresh parsley
Salt & pepper
Tomato sauce:
2 tbsps of olive oil
2 tins of plum tomatoes
1 garlic clove minced
Pinch of red chilli flakes
Squeeze of tomato purée
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Basil leaves to finish
Makes about 15-16 meatballs
1. In a bowl put all the meatball ingredients in apart from the bread. Cover the bread with milk and leave for about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Squeeze the milk out of your bread and then add the bread it to your meatball mixture then mix all together with hands and make sure you have seasoned the mixture properly.
3. To make sure that your hands don’t stick when making the meatballs put a little bit of oil on them. Shape them in a golf ball size and place them on a plate in the fridge to firm up slightly.
4. In the meantime make your tomato sauce - put all ingredients in a frying pan and let that simmer for at least 30 minutes.
5. Now it’s time to fry the meatballs in a little bit of oil until they are golden brown and that should take about 10 minutes on a medium heat.
6. Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce and let them bubble away nicely for 10 minutes. Make sure you don’t overcook the meatballs as you want them to be soft and tender when you bite into them. To serve sprinkle some fresh basil leaves over the dish.
