The Meatball

The Italian-American meatball — large (golf ball to tennis ball sized), made from a blend of beef, pork, and veal, bound with soaked bread and egg, seasoned with garlic, Parmesan, and Italian herbs, and simmered in marinara sauce — is a fundamentally different product from Italian *polpette* (smaller, often fried, rarely simmered in sauce, and never served on spaghetti). The Italian-American meatball was born in the immigrant communities of the Northeast, where beef was cheap and abundant (unlike in Southern Italy, where it was scarce), and the large, sauce-simmered meatball became a way to stretch meat across a family table. Spaghetti and meatballs — the dish that the rest of the world considers "Italian" — is Italian-American, full stop.

Large, round meatballs (5-7cm diameter) of ground meat (the classic blend is equal parts beef, pork, and veal — the *meatloaf mix*), soaked bread (stale Italian bread torn and soaked in milk until soft — this is the key to tender meatballs), egg, grated Parmesan, minced garlic, chopped flat-leaf parsley, salt, and pepper. Formed by hand (not packed tight — gentle hands produce tender meatballs), browned in a skillet or baked at 200°C until coloured on the outside, then simmered in marinara sauce for 30-60 minutes until cooked through and saturated with sauce.

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