Robin Made This And I Was Hooked!

One of the great things about following other bloggers is that, when they share a terrific recipe like this, I can try and replicate it!

I received this last month from “Robin & Willow”, and here is what Robin wrote:

“I’ve got something fun, nostalgic, and downright gigantic for you. Meatballs. But not just any meatballs—Dan Pelosi’s Gigantic Meatballs, from his latest cookbook Let’s Party. These babies are baseball-sized and full of old-school Italian flavor.”

So if she loved making a gigantic meatball, then so would I so let’s replicate the recipe she shared! I will link to her original story as well so you can see how she did!

First, I didn’t make marinara from scratch as she did: I used a jar of Rao’s Arrabbiata – I will share a link to a story I shared where I made Rao’s from scratch and then compared to store bought – and wow!

But I used it just as a base and here is the recipe I followed to bolster the sauce – note that :

• Olive oil
• one diced onion
• at least ten Garlic cloves
• one cup Red wine
• 1 tbl Dried oregano
• 1 tbs Fresh basil
• Rao’s Arrabbiata – I used one jar because it’s incredible…but you can take canned for fresh tomatoes and simmer them down as well
• Salt, black pepper,

I love the smell of this dish: as you sauté the onions, garlic and herbs in olive oil…so easy and so satisfying. Here is the process to make the sauce:

Now that the sauce is simmering, let’s just make those giant meatballs! Note that I reduced everything by half because I didn’t make as many…this recipe will easily serve 4, and I made it for two of us

• 1½ lbs. ground beef (85% lean because we need that fat – Robin noted that she used a combination of ground beef, pork, and veal to make use of ingredients on hand.)
• 1½ lbs. ground pork
• 1½ cups Homemade Breadcrumbs or store-bought panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup of diced onion
• Large handful chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1 cup raisins (Optional—I didn’t use them)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes ( I didn’t use but you can!)
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (For frying, plus more if needed)
• Cooked pasta of your choice
• black olives as garnish

You can decide just how big to make your Giant Meatball, but as I said the full recipe above will make at least four of them!

Here’s the video of me putting the giant meatball together, using the ingredients above:

After making the giant meatballs, it’s time to cook them! In a large Dutch oven or deep frying pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Put the meatball in the pan and sear it for about a minute, then turn it until all sides are seared…the rest of the cooking will take place inside the sauce!

Add the meatballs to the sauce and make sure they are fully submerged, then cover the pot with the lid. Simmer for about 20 minutes. To check for doneness, carefully cut into one meatball—if the center is just barely pink, they’re ready.

Spoon the meatballs and marinara over cooked spaghetti and top with extra Parmesan, if you like. I then added fresh basil and here’s how it all came together:

My “Giant Meatball” Is Served!

Well, you really can’t go wrong with this dish: it’s a meatball in delicious pasta sauce!

Robin’s recipe didn’t have black olives but I love them…but as you can see, Whole Foods sells them “natural”, so they are more brown in color! Oh well!

Thank you Robin for this dish…always terrific recipes there!

Make sure to go and check out Robin’s terrific blog here!

I told you I used Rao’s jarred sauce, and here is why!

I made their recipe from their cookbook, and then read The Washington Post’s review of all store-bought sauces – and there’s is perfect…it was better than the one I made at home from scratch!

See the results of that test and their meatball recipe here:

I love Italian food, and love to cook from actor Stanley Tucci’s cookbooks:

That included his Mom’s Chicken Cacciatore recipe, which you can see here:

When not cooking Tucci, I am still influenced by his love of food – here’s a case in point:

“Sunday Gravy” With A Tucci Assist!

Yep, this “Sopranos” Sunday Gravy recipe was an Italian treat, and it had a Tucci assist as well! Click here to see why:

And if you like what you see, please click on my link and follow this blog as well!

https://biteeatrepeat.com

Thank you for following along on my culinary journey. If you like the story, share it with friends on social media! Thanks!

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