Rustic Country Meatballs
I needed a recharge day: full-on introvert, disconnect from the Interwebs, please leave a message at the sound of the beep. Beep. It was absolutely beautiful outside yesterday. Blue skies, cotton-puff clouds, crisp breeze, leaves blowing through the air and floating to the ground like an Autumn snowfall. I wanted to be out in it. Time for a nature recharge.
Since I feel like I have some catching up to do at the farmer’s market, my first stop was the Old Town Alexandria farmer’s market. It’s possible that I get unusually excited about the piles and piles of different apples and squash at the market this time of year. But, I really let out a ‘whoop whoop’ when I got to the Bon Vivant stand (my favorite breakfast spot in Del Rey, Alexandria) and found they were selling beef and chicken from Polyface Farm, located in Swoope, Virginia.
My friend, Stosh, tipped me off to Polyface Farm when my daydream of owning my own farm went off mute… More than the farm (that sells meat and eggs in the local area), my friend tipped me off to Joel Salatin, the owner of the farm and author of several books including Folks, This Ain’t Normal; Salad Bar Beef; The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs; and You Can Farm. I picked up a copy of You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise because it “targets the wannabes, the folks who actually entertain notions of living, loving and learning on a piece of land.” If I’m going to dream, I might as well have a guide… More about this later… I grabbed 3 pounds of ground, grass-fed beef and went on my way. It was frozen solid, so I knew there was a little more adventure left in my day.
I took off from the market and drove south on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, through George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and then headed west to George Washington’s Grist Mill and Distillery. It was closed for the season, but I wanted to catch the colors and scope things out for a future visit.
From there, I headed north to Lake Accotink in Springfield, Virginia, for a quick walk around the lake.
I’d complete my giant loop by heading east for a stop at Nalls Produce. Nall’s Produce is another favorite. I stocked up on honey nut, delicata and acorn squashes; sweet onions; asian pears; and, of course, three overflowing mums for the front porch. On my way out, I stopped to check on Penny the Pig.
During the drive, I had plenty of time to contemplate big topics in my life. Like dinner. Like meatballs…in sauce…with crusty, toasted french bread plunged into the sauce.
This meatball bake is so easy. The meatballs come together quickly. The sauce isn’t pre-cooked; just some dicing, mixing and pouring over the meatballs after they’ve browned a bit in the oven. The goat cheese and ricotta dollops give a tangy, but smooth creaminess to the dish, and the Herbs de Provence perfectly tie the sauce, cheese and meat together. This recipe makes a healthy serving of meatballs. Make sure your family is hungry, invite some friends over, or get ready for some leftovers (ohhhh…they taste so good the next day too). You can serve the meatballs over a pasta of your choice or simply in a bowl with a side of toasted french bread drizzled with olive oil. Comfort food any way you serve it, and your house will smell divine for hours!
“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.”
~Aristotle
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups torn french bread
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, drained & chopped
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- salt and black pepper
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 2/3 cup ricotta cheese
- fresh basil, chiffonade (thinly sliced), for serving
- pasta or toasted french bread drizzled with olive oil, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with olive oil.
Meatballs:
Place the torn bread in a small bowl. Add the milk and squeeze the bread and milk together with your hands, breaking up the bread into small pieces and helping the milk soak in. Let the bread soak for 5 minutes until all the milk is absorbed in the bread. Place the crumbled, milk-soaked bread into a large bowl.
Add the ground beef and egg to the soaked, crumbled bread and mix it all together with your hands. Roll and form the meat mixture into meatballs (about 2 1/2 tablespoons-- the meat ball should be on the larger side and fill the palm of your hand). This should make about 16-18 meatballs. Place the meatballs in the greased baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, until the meatballs are browned on the outside but not cooked through.
Sauce:
While the meatballs are baking, in a large bowl, add the San Marzano tomatoes and crush them with your hands (go a little slow as the tomatoes will squirt, which is fun but messy). Then add the fire roasted tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, wine, onion, garlic, Herbs de Provence, oregano, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and black pepper.
After the meatballs have browned, pour the sauce over the meatballs. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes until the meatballs have cooked through. Remove the foil and add chunks of goat cheese and dollops of the ricotta throughout the sauce. Return the dish to the oven (uncovered) and bake until the cheese is golden on top, about 15 minutes (check at this point and add 5-10 more minutes, if needed, to brown the cheese).
Serve over pasta or with toasted french bread. Sprinkle with the basil.
Personally, a large bowl of meatballs and sauce with toasted french bread (to sop up the sauce) is my favorite! If serving with french bread, after you remove the meatballs from the oven, leave the oven on. Place diagonal slices of french bread drizzled with olive oil on a baking sheet and cook in the 450 degree oven for 5 minutes (or until lightly toasted).
Enjoy!
https://www.travelynneats.com/2018/11/04/rustic-country-meatballs/
Lisa
November 12, 2018
Ermagawd. Those look perfectly divine! The pictures are also stupendous. I also am a big fan of Nalls Produce and usually trying to get my fresh produce there when I leave work. I will definitely have to try this recipe. It looks delicious!
travelynneats
November 25, 2018
Thanks Lisa! I love Nalls Produce (I just roasted some Delicata squash from Nalls tonight :)). I’ve been recently buying meat from Polyface farms in Staunton, VA–they deliver in our area. Trying to buy meat and veg that are more consciously, compassionately farmed.