Fight Food: UFC 94

After eating a pretty subpar meatball sandwich at the local pizzeria, I wanted to show the fight dudes what a good meatball sandwich should be - moist, tender, and flavorful. The problem with a lotta meatballs made stateside is that they're mostly meat which makes the meatball tough and not tender. Mr Batali believes this was because Italy was a relatively poor country using bread to extend the meatball yielding a more tender product. But because the Italians stateside could afford to use more meat, the meatballs here are generally tougher. Any who, great card and tasty, huge f'n man sandwich...

Meatball Sandwich
I like cooking the meatballs in the oven since it almost has a souffle effect and makes the meatball uber tender. Finishing them off the in the sauce makes a sick meat sauce (great with pasta or just to dip bread in). I ommited onions since I don't like raw onions in my meatballs. Instead, I added caramelized onions in the sandwich adding that hint of sweetness that makes you want to eat a lot more.

Ingredients (all are guesses, since I never measure)
4 Portuguese Rolls (ciabatta would be nice too)
Ground pork/beef combo (about 3/4 pound per person)
Toasted Pine Nuts (in a dry pan for 1 minute)
Cubed white bread soaked in milk (about 1/3 the amount of meat)
4 eggs
3 cups of finely chopped parsley
2 cups parmiggiano reggiano
Fresh mozzarella thinly shredded
2 cloves garlic minced
Caramelized Onions (thinly sliced sweet onions, cooked over low heat in olive oil for 20 mins)
Salt and Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Tomato Sauce (using 98 oz can of San Marzano Tomatoes) + reserve tomato juice

1) Preheat oven to 375 F and add a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
2) Combine the white bread (squeeze the milk out before you use), pine nuts, meat, eggs, garlic, parsley, parmmigiano-reggiano, and pinch salt/pepper in a large bowl. Mix well and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3) Now this is an important step. Make one mini meatball and fry in a pan over medium heat with olive oil and taste. If it needs more flavor, add more salt and pepper (maybe parmiggiano too). If it's a tad to tough, add a bit more bread. The meatball can actually stand up to a lot of salt and pepper.
3) Form meatballs to the size of your liking (bigger will yield a juicier meatball). Place on the baking sheet and close the oven...you should hear it sizzle right away when the meatball hits the pan.
4) Add tomato sauce to a pot over high heat. Add some tomato juice to loosen up the sauce a little bit - enough to come half way up the meatballs. Once the sauce starts boiling, change to simmer keeping the pot uncovered.
5) After 10 minutes check on the meatballs. You want to see the meatball brown on the bottom. The top should just be slightly set. I think mine was finished in about 15 minutes.
6) Once meatballs are ready, add them (and the meatball juice) into the sauce. Simmer for 10-15 minutes covered.
7) Place a good helping of caramelized onions, meatballs, and extra sauce in the roll. Top with mozzarella and place back in the oven. After 2-3 minutes, remove from the oven (you just want the mozzarella fully melted). Top with extra virgin olive oil and parsley. Buono appetito...btw - cold meatballs topped with caramelized onions are the best thing to eat the next morning.