Ultimate Meatballs al Forno with Creamy Polenta

Everytime I think of how to describe this amazing meal the only thing that pops into my mind is: “Tastes so good it makes you wanna slap your mama.” I say yes that is certainly true, you will want to slap your mama…and your daddy…and your partner…and yes EVEN your anti-depressant prescribed cat.

Listen up - no joke: This recipe makes a TON of food. You could pretty much feed an entire army of Jabba the Huts and still have leftovers. Just warning you.

So where did this come from…well, I accidentally found this recipe when doing a search for a polenta recipe on the Food Network site. (Thank you Tyler Florence!) It sounded damn good and not too complicated so I moved on to read the reviews. Wow. I was surprised. Usually you get the person that screwed up the recipe (and blames it on the chef) and logs back in to shake their fist and belittle the recipe by rating it a single pathetic star. I seriously didn’t see anything less than 4 stars in all of those reviews so I was super intrigued!

I ended up making it for H and I one night after work which probably wasn’t the best idea…since we were finally sitting down to eat at about 7:45 p.m. Keep in mind that there is a decent amount of prep time involved. Preparing this after getting home from work is probably a bit ambitious for most - but I guess if you had made up the meatballs ahead of time, it would save you heaps of time and be much easier. I also have to give you a head’s up on something else. When I tell you that it makes a lot, I really mean it. I cut the recipe in half and still had enough for 6 people. The meatballs are actually large patties. Even just eating one of them will have you unbuttoning the top button of your pants. I also want to strongly recommend that you do not substitute anything in this recipe…meaning, if you think you are not a big fan of polenta and want to switch it out for a different side - stop yourself - DON’T DO IT HOMEY. These flavors rely on each other and totally make the dish work it’s magic on you. I never was all that fond of polenta. Not that I hated it or disliked it, but it was just unimpressive to me really. After this meal, I have certainly changed my tune. Oh and one last thing…I made this meal for my parents this weekend and I have to make a suggestion…when you are simmering the tomatoes and mushrooms (by the way I substituted button mushrooms and the second time baby bellas for the chanterelles), let them simmer for longer than the 10 minutes that the recipe calls for. You can tell by the pictures in this post that I followed the recipe verbatim and only simmered the tomatoes and mushrooms for 10 minutes. No good! It led to a very watery sauce that was a bit light in the flavor department. I learned from making it the second time, to let it cook down/reduce for a good 20 - 30 minutes (simmer…Simmah…Simmah Down Now…Simmer Donna…yes Simmer Donna sounds like Donna Summer reversed, FYI). Basically until it had broken down into a thicker sauce. As you can see in my photos here I did NOT do the Simmer Donna long enough…shame shame. I think we were starving by that point and I decided that since the recipe said 10 minutes then well, that sounded good to me. Suckah. (Sometimes your inner voice gets hungry too and talks some crazy sht. Watch that.) Somehow it was still amazing though so I knew this was a special recipe. These are the best meatballs I have ever made. Tip: Don’t eat yellow snow. Also, when cutting the recipe in half DON’T cut the mushroom/tomatoes sauce recipe part in half. Just cut the meatballs and the polenta parts in half. You will be totally bummed if you are short on the sauce so you better listen to me. Okay, belly up! Oh and uh…er…sorry mom!

Serves: 6 (the recipe says, but I say way more than that - like 10+!)

Ingredients:

• ½ baguette, crust removed
• 1 ¼ cups milk
• 1 ½ pounds ground beef sirloin
• 1 ½ pounds ground pork
• ½ bunch fresh parsley
• ½ bunch basil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/3 cup ground pine nuts
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs
• ½ pound chanterelle mushrooms
• 2 pints vine-ripened small tomatoes
• 1 medium ball fresh mozzarella
• Creamy polenta (see recipe below)

Creamy Polenta:

• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 ½ cups finely ground cornmeal
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 3 tablespoons whole butter
• Pinch sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Break the baguette in pieces and soak in a bowl with milk for 10 minutes until the bread is soft. In a second bowl mix the beef and pork together. Twist up half the parsley and the basil into a little pile, roughly chop it and add to the meat. Add garlic and mix thoroughly with your hands. Squeeze the milk out of the bread and add it in small pieces. Add eggs, Parmesan, ground pine nuts, salt, and pepper and mix everything together thoroughly. Shape the meatballs into large patties then roll them in the bread crumbs.

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat until it begins to smoke slightly. Fry the meatballs to seal the crust, flip them over so both sides are done. Transfer to a large baking dish.

Add a splash of oil to pan and fry the mushrooms on a low heat until they start to caramelize. Cut the tomatoes in 1/2 and hand-crush them into a separate bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and a few cranks of fresh cracked pepper and mix. Add to the mushrooms. Let everything simmer together and reduce slightly for about 10 minutes. Pour the tomatoes and mushrooms over the meatballs. Shred the remaining basil and parsley and the mozzarella over it. Drizzle with olive oil and add a few cranks of pepper. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes. Listen up: Now would be the perfect time to make your creamy polenta. Recipe is as follows:

In a large saucepan bring the chicken stock to a slow simmer. Quickly whisk the cornmeal into the stock and lower the temperature to keep it from splattering. Stir in the cream, Parmesan, butter, and salt. Turn off the heat and keep in a warm place until the meatballs are ready. Serve meatballs, tomatoes and mushrooms over polenta when finished.

The original recipe can be found on www.foodnetwork.com “Ultimate Meatballs al Forno with Creamy Polenta”.

(click on images to enlarge)

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Download or print recipe here:
Ultimate Meatballs al Forno with Creamy Polenta Recipe (PDF 26.9 kb)