Pork Meatballs
Course: Pork RecipesCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes25
minutesDuring Covid getting groceries was a challenged so we ordered a few meat boxes to see what was out favorite. There are so many good ones but it really came down to two that really seemed to have a great assortment of different meats as well as cuts and good prices. Our two favorite are Belcampo which has a handful of locations in California, but the ranches are located in the Mt Shasta area. Our other favorite, which is local and we get most of our meats from them, is Sonoma County Meat Company based out of Santa Rosa. Both have meat boxes that come with a little of everything but enough for a family of 4. The Belcampo had ground pork and we had eaten everything in the box so I made this recipe up and it was a hit!! My kids and husband have been begging me to make it again. Have fun with it.
Ingredients
1 LB ground pork, Belcampo
1 bunch fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
2 1/2 Tablespoons fennel seeds, toasted
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large farm egg
2 stale slices of Ciabatta bread or if fresh toasted well in an oven to dry it out
1/4 cup red wine
Salt and Fresh ground pepper
1/2 to 1 1/2 teaspoon ground Aleppo pepper, such as Penzey’s
2 Tablespoons olive oil for roasting pan
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 and prepare heavy 9×13 roasting pan with a good drizzle of olive oil and set aside.
- Break apart stale bread into tiny pieces and place in a bowl to soak up all the red wine.
- In a large bowl, add the ground pork, toasted fennel seeds, minced garlic, chopped parsley, egg, salt, pepper and Aleppo pepper. Give a quick mix. Add the soaked bread pieces and gently mix until all combine.
- Gently work the meatballs into the size of a golf ball and place in oiled pan. These should make anywhere from 6-8 depending on the size. I usually get about 6 which is perfect for my family of 4. You can also make and freeze but best to cook first.
- Place pan in preheated oven and cook for 25-30 minutes.
- Serve with pasta or with pita bread and cous cous. I also like to serve it with polenta and even a tomato sauce.
