Best 5 Meatball Heroes With Quick Pickled Giardiniera Recipes

MINI MEATBALL HEROES

Steps:

• To make the meatballs: Whisk the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and bread crumbs. Mix in the beef, veal, and pork. Using about 2 tablespoons of meat for each, shape the meat mixture into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.
• Heat the oil in heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Working in 2 to 3 batches, add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off any excess oil. Return all the meatballs to the pan. Add the Marinara Sauce. Simmer over medium-low until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, about 10 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. (The meatball mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before continuing.)
• To make the sandwiches: Spoon the hot meatballs with some sauce over the bottoms of the rolls. Place 1/2 slice provolone on top of meatballs and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Spread more sauce over the roll tops, then fold the tops of the rolls over and serve.
• In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

HUNTER'S HERO

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• In a large saute pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and saute onions, bell peppers and garlic. After 2 minutes, add salt and cook until tender. Remove from pan and let cool.
• In a medium bowl, pour milk over bread crumbs and let soak for 5 minutes. Remove from milk and squeeze out excess milk, until bread is moist but not soggy. In a large bowl, mix together beef, pork sausage, soaked bread, cooled vegetables, basil, oregano, parsley, pepper, chili flakes, grated Parmesan and egg. Gently roll into 2-inch balls.
• In same large saute pan used for vegetables, heat over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook meatballs, browning completely until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, using an instant-read thermometer.
• Meanwhile, remove inside dough from hoagie rolls. To assemble heroes, fill hoagies with 4 meatballs each. Drizzle with 1/4 cup Marinara Sauce and top with 3 slices of mozzarella cheese. Place heroes on a sheet pan under the broiler until the cheese melts and turns golden brown. Top each sandwich with 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan.
• In medium saucepan, heat olive oil, add onions and cook over medium to low heat until onions are transparent. Add garlic and cook until almost brown and then add tomatoes. Cook for 1/2 hour over low to medium heat, then add basil and oregano and continue to cook for 30 minutes longer. In a food mill or a blender, puree into a sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

FRIED MEATBALL SANDWICHES WITH GIARDINIERA

Steps:

• For the meatballs: Preheat the oven to broil.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, Romano, parsley, garlic, and some salt and pepper until it is all incorporated.
• Add in the ground meats and breadcrumbs and, using your God-given hands, get after it and mix away. Do not overwork the meat or it will turn "meat-loafy." You want it loose and supple.
• Using your hands again, make 4 loose patties to match the size of your bread. (The mixture will form at least 10 patties, depending on how big your buns are. But I like to make some patties for sandwiches and then roll the rest to make meatballs, which I then freeze so I have meatballs at the ready.)
• Heat some oil in a large cast-iron pan (or use a griddle pan) over medium heat. In batches, fry the patties until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
• For the sandwich build: Place the buns split-side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Add 1 slice of provolone to each side of the buns and broil in the oven until the cheese is brown and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes, but keep watch!
• Add the patties to the bottom buns, spoon over some marinara, top with some red pepper strips and pile on some giardiniera. Then close the sandwiches and eat the hell out of them.
• Serve with more marinara sauce on the side.

GIARDINIERA

Steps:

• Bring the vinegar, sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, the bay leaves, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the cauliflower, fennel, red onion, carrots and garlic. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Let the vegetables cool in the brine, then refrigerate until chilled. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

MEATBALL HEROS WITH TRI-COLORED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, and salt and saute for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Cut the bread into quarters crosswise and cut each quarter in half, being careful not to cut all the way through, so the 2 haves stay connected. Scoop the soft center out of the bread.
• Put the bread, open-faced, on a baking sheet. Place 1 meatball and some sauce on 1 side of each piece of bread. Top with some of the pepper mixture. Moisten the other side of each sandwich with a little sauce and sprinkle with the cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted, about 4 minutes.