Veal and pork sage meatballs with Gruyere (Photos)

Meatballs can make a terrific meal, impressive but simple, and you can serve then with several sauces or no sauces as you wish. After visiting the marvelous Bar Sugo a few times, we thought we really had to try to make meatballs as good as theirs. And these are actually pretty easy. We got our ground veal and ground pork at Village Market, but you can grind some up in your food processor from veal and pork scraps.

• 1/2 lb ground veal
• 3/4 lb ground pork
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 small carrot
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 lb Gruyere cheese, sliced.

1. Preheat the oven to 375º F.
2. Mince the celery and carrot in a food processor and remove.
3. Mince the onion separately in the food processor and remove.
4. Peel and crush the garlic using a flat knife and mince it.
5. Put the veal and pork in the food processor
6. Add the sage, garlic and egg.
7. Add 1-2 Tb of the onion
8. Add 2 Tb of the celery carrot mixture.
9. Pulse until uniform.
10. Place the breadcrumbs on a plate.
11. Spray a large cast iron frying pan or a heavy cookie sheet with cooking spray.
12. Scoop out each meatball with a large cookie scoop.
13. Insert a square of Gruyere into the middle of each meatball, roll it in the breadcrumbs and arrange on the pan or cookie sheet.
14. When you have formed all the meatballs (this makes about a dozen) place them in the oven for 15 minutes.
15. Remove the pan and turn each meatball, Bake another 15 minutes.
16. Serve the hot meatballs as appetizers on toothpicks, or with pasta, marinara sauce and grated parmesan.

One meatball on pasta with grated Parmesan

Photo credit: 

jwc