How to make great meatballs

Meatballs – how do you strike the right balance of flavour and juiciness?

When I make meatballs, I combine beef, pork and veal mince. Beef adds the robust base flavour, the pork adds the perfect amount of fat for flavour and juiciness, and veal gives it a silky soft texture. You can experiment with the mix, or add breadcrumbs and/or eggs (I always add plenty of good parmesan), but the golden rule when working with any type of minced meat, whether it’s rissoles or burgers, is to keep everything as cold as possible. 

You want your meat super-cold. Keep your hands cool by running them under cold water; it helps maintain the integrity of the meat and makes a world of difference to the finished product. While meatballs are fantastic served in a tomato sauce, with or without pasta, my preference is to throw three or four into a roll, lather them with a rich tomato sauce and finish with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano for an amazing sub.

Illustration Lauren Haire

Anthony Puharich

Magazine Issue: Mar 2015