After martinis at Rn74, two bottles of wine at Town Hall and about 10,000 calories of food, I was in need of a cigarette. Unfortunately I didn't have a lighter and Town Hall didn't have matchbooks (which, is a major FAIL in my eyes)... So, Beej tossed me the Veal Meatball recipe dingdong they had in place of matches... I just found it in my purse. Can't wait until the weather is cooler so I can make this.
For green peppercorn sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium shallots, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
½ cup brandy
1 cup red wine
1 cup port
2 cups beef stock or chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons green peppercorns in brine, drained and crushed
coarse salt, to taste
For the meatballs:
1½ inch thick slices of bread, crusts removed
1 cup whole milk
½ pound veal
½ pound pork
½ pound beef
1½ teaspoons coarse salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
½ cup fresh ricotta cheese
½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup olive oil
Make the sauce: heat the 2 tablespoons oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the shallots and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the mustard and sherry vinegar and reduce to half, about 1 minute. Add the brandy and cook off the alcohol, about 3 minutes.
Add the red wine and port: reduce by half; about 15 minutes. Add the stock and reduce the mixture by half again, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, and whisk the cream, butter and crushed green peppercorns. Add salt to taste.
While the sauce is reducing, make the meatballs: Soak the bread in milk until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the milk and squeeze the bread out slightly. In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread, veal, pork, beef, salt, pepper, Parmigiano-Reggiano, ricotta and parsley. Roll the mixture into meatballs the size of golf balls.
Heat the ¼ cup olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs until crispy on the outside and cooked through on the inside, about 12 minutes. Do this in batches so the meatballs are not crowded. As the batches of meatballs are cooked, transfer them to a 300-degree oven to stay warm while you finish cooking the meatballs and sauce. Serve the meatballs with the warm peppercorn sauce.
Use more veal for a lighter meatball, or more pork for richer texture. If you want them “fluffy” just trim amount of cheese and add a little water.
On the side: mashed potatoes!