E&L's Infused Meatballs

Fresh quality ingredients + a pinch of love will always result in a tasty dish.

This is one of our pasta dishes. These meatballs are moist and full of flavor. What will make you want more and more, is the homemade marinara sauce. (Look for it in our Sides Section) Perfect to serve during family dinners, truly a dish that keeps on giving and having friends coming back for seconds. To truly lift your taste buds, pair this with a glass of decanted Di Giovanna VURRIA Nero d’Avola DOC Sicilia wine. This wine has a dark bouquet with sweet spices, where berries and plum standout. The palate is silky, with waves of currant and black cherry. Aging in tonneaux lends roundness and a velvety texture. Philosophy Certified organic, Vegan Friendly.

Note: Easy to follow links have been to added to certain ingredients not commonly found. Also links to the wines and evo have been added as the wine(s) mentioned are actually paired by a winery in Sicily and not found in the states. For quality ingredients that you can have delivered right to your front door, go to Amazon Fresh - follow this link or Amazon Whole Foods Market .

VURRIA Nero d’Avola DOC Sicilia

Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. ground veal/chuck/beef mix

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, mashed or 2 tbsp. of garlic paste

1/4 cup of italian seasoning

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup of seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2/3 cup of milk

1 large egg, beaten

1 tbsp. salt

1 tsp of red pepper flakes

2 tbsp. butter

3 oz. block of sharp cheddar cheese

Cooking Steps

1. In a deep bowl, mix all spices, egg, milk, breadcrumbs and melted butter & let it sit for about 5 minutes.

2. After 5 minutes, add mixed meat thoroughly to combine all the ingredients, but do not over mix as this can make the meat tough. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line with parchment paper an oven safe pan and drizzle with oil.

4. Portion the meat into about 2" balls. You can use a spoon or any other utensil in order to maintain consistency in size as this will allow the meatballs to all cook within the allotted time. Once done making all the portions, cut sharp cheddar cheese block into 1/4 cubes and start placing them in the middle of each meatball. Make sure to enclose or hide the cheese from all sides. Using gloves will help with not having the meat stick to you hands. Place meatballs in lined pan keeping about 2" separation. Dust some of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the meatballs and place in pre-heated oven and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and let it rest for about 2 minutes.

6. Make your favorite pasta and mix using E&L's Homemade Marinara Sauce (you can find this recipe under the Sides Section) Hint... this sauce takes time to develop the flavors, so I suggest you make ahead of time and refrigerate in an air-tight container to use in recipes like this.

7. Serve along with some garlic bread, and...

8. Enjoy!