I would like to share this meatball recipe with you as it is something I remember well from my childhood.  I remember mum making them, the smell of the mixture, the dried herbs giving off a strong herby (don’t think that is a real word but it works for me!) aroma so unlike the smell you get from fresh herbs.  But when I was young I hated any type of pasta so mum just put the meatballs and her spaghetti sauce on the plate less the pasta just for me.

And I’m sure most of you will remember the smell of fake parmesan, the one you get in the shaker container at the grocery story.  Such a strong and unpleasant smell and as much as I hate to say it, it really did smell like vomit.  YUK!  But we ate it anyway…

I’m so glad we have come such a long way in the world of food and have had the pleasure of trying fresh herbs, real parmesan cheese, fresh pasta and so much more.  But the old recipes of our mothers and grandmothers are still the best in my book, even if we do update them slightly!

Happy cooking!

The meatballs cooked and ready for eating

MEATBALLS

Makes approx. 16 – 18 depending on the size of the balls

Ingredients:

• 750 grams minced beef
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon mixed herbs (oregano, marjoram, basil)
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 egg
• Pepper to taste

Method:

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with clean hands until well combined.

The meatball mixture

Roll mince into 16 – 18 golf ball size balls.

The meatballs reading for cooking

Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium heat.  Add a very small amount of olive oil (if desired – I usually dry fry my meatballs), then the meatballs.  Brown on all sides until done (usually takes 10 -15 minutes) keeping the balls moving in the pan to cook through and making sure they don’t stick.

Cooking the meatballs

Use meatballs in Sub Sandwiches, with a nice tomato sauce and pasta or cold, sliced in a sandwich.

Hints:

I use the best quality mincemeat that I can buy as it gives a better flavour and less fat.  Just be careful not to overcook as it will dry out.

In the summertime when my herb garden is going I will use fresh herbs but you will need more as the flavour isn’t as intense as the dried herbs.  I would use 1 – 2 tablespoons of mixed, chopped fresh herbs in place of the dried herbs.

I always use some dried parsley as this is how my mother used to make them and I like the taste/flavour.