Recipe: Chef Rocco Dispirito's Mama's Meatballs

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Makes 3 dozen

Seasoned stock mix:

- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ large sweet onion
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- ½ bunch parsley, stemmed and coarsely chopped

Meatballs:

- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground veal
- ½ cup plain bread crumbs
- 2 to 3 large eggs
- ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
- 2 to 3 pinches red pepper flakes
- 2 to 3 pinches salt
- Olive oil for frying
- 4 cups favorite marinara sauce

1. For the seasoned stock: Place chicken stock, onion, garlic and parsley in blender or food processor and purée until smooth.

2. To prepare meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, veal, bread crumbs, eggs, cheese, red pepper and salt with the stock. Mix until the mixture is uniform. Add another egg if the mixture doesn't seem to hold together well. Do not overmix. With lightly oiled hands, form the mixture into balls a little larger than golf balls.

3. Pour about ½ inch of extra virgin olive oil into a straight-sided, wide sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat. In a separate large saucepan, heat the marinara sauce.

4. Working in batches, add the meatballs to the oil and brown, turning once. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meatballs from the oil and place them into the saucepan of marinara. They should be submerged. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and tender.

5. Serve alone or over spaghetti. (If serving over spaghetti, increase the amount of marinara to 6 cups.)

From Rocco DiSpirito & Mama (his mother).