Sausage Meatballs with Ricotta - Lenny Rice Moonsammy

By CheeseDiva

If fresh basil is not available, add a tablespoon of dried basil to the tomatoes before adding to the meatballs.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork shoulder
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, bulk
• 4-6 ounces prosciutto or pancetta, minced (helps to put in freezer for 15 min first, before mincing, will make it easier to cut)
• 4 cups cubed white bread, crusts removed first.
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 2/3 cup ricotta cheese - Calabro is the best
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• Olive oil
• 1 28-ounce can tomato ouree (high quality, San Marzano )
• 1/4 cup chiffonaded* fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Step 1

1 In a large bowl, add the pork, Italian sausage, prosciutto or pancetta, bread cubes, parsley, oregano, fennel, and salt. Use your hands to mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Do not over-work.
2 Incorporate eggs and ricotta: Whisk the beaten eggs and ricotta together in a separate bowl until there are no more large clumps of ricotta. Pour into the bowl of the meat mixture. Mix with your hands until just incorporated. Again, do not over-mix.
3 Form meatballs and place in roasting pan: Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat the bottom of a large roasting pan with olive oil. Form meatballs in your hand, about 1 1/2-inches in diameter, using about 3 Tbsp of the mixture to form each meatball. Arrange in pan so there is some space between them. If too crowded they will steam and not brown.
4 Brown meatballs in the oven at 425°F for about 30 minutes, turning the meatballs after about 20 minutes, until the meatballs are beginning to brown.
5 Add crushed tomatoes, lower oven temp: Remove pan from oven. Use a metal spatula to dislodge meatballs from being stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan. Carefully cover the pan with aluminum foil (carefully because the pan is still hot!)
Return the pan to the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 300°F. Cook for an additional hour to 1 1/2 hours.
Sprinkle basil into the sauce before serving.
Top with grated Parmesan.