Kazia Jankowski - big world | small kitchen

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Homemade Pork Meatballs & the New Guy

I wouldn’t call myself a fan of chicken Parmesan. I’m more of a bystander when it comes to the breaded, cheesy chicken. If it’s served at a dinner party, I gaze at it, longing for roast pork, a pan-fried chicken breast, or even a hamburger. Then I serve myself a small piece, wondering why no one has made this Italian American classic lighter, spicier, or more interesting.

The answer, I know, is because most of the world loves chicken Parmesan. And most of the world includes the new guy. The new guy, who I started dating at the beginning of November (and who successfully maneuvered Christmas Eve dinner with my family), adores chicken Parmesan. I’m certain that if he could, he’d eat it four nights of the week.

I should have predicted this. On our first date, I suggested the new guy order tacos (to go with his Mexican paloma cocktail), but, “No,” he insisted, “the bacon mac ‘n’ cheese would be better.” A few weeks later, I made Thai chicken soup. I slurped up the sweet and refreshing soup in minutes, appreciating Asian food for its marvelously bright, light flavors. Meanwhile, the new guy pushed around the soup, until he found every sliver of shredded chicken. Then, with his bowl still full of broth, he laid down his spoon. “I don’t really like Thai food. That sweet creaminess is kind of gross,” he said.

I was dating a man who liked chicken Parm but not Thai food.  Oh dear. I imagined future dates where he went to KFC, while I picked up a sandwich at the gourmet deli. I saw him eating meatloaf, while I whipped up Spanish-style fried garbanzo beans. And then I saw our happy relationship coming to a sad end where each of us ate, what we liked—by ourselves.

At that moment, I opened my cookbooks and culinary websites. Surely, there were recipes we would both like. Recipes that had all the worldliness of Thai chicken soup and the familiarity of chicken Parm.

I didn’t have to search far. A recipe for pork and prosciutto meatballs popped up on my computer screen, and with that, I began experimenting. I cooked until I had sweet, tender pork meatballs that broke gingerly under a fork, exposing juicy raisins, golden pine nuts, and melty Fontina cheese. I served these meatballs, cooked in homemade marinara, over rosemary-accented polenta. They tasted just of Italy—the authentic Italy I liked and the East Coast Little Italy the new guy liked.

The next night, I brought dinner to the new guy. After just one bite of these juicy homemade pork meatballs, he declared meatballs his favorite food. As he continued eating, he reflected on the layers of flavor. First, he told me, you taste the sweetness of fruit and nuts, then the saltiness of the prosciutto, and finally, the creaminess of the cheese. There are so many layers of flavor, he marveled. Those were foodie words, and I knew just the way to reward them. After dinner, I opened my internet browser and typed in “chicken Parmesan recipes.”

Homemade Pork Meatballs
Makes 15 meatballs

These sweet and salty meatballs are an easy dinner, and you can adapt the recipe to make as them simple as you want. I made my marinara and dished up the meatballs over polenta. But don’t hesitate to use a store-bought sauce or serve these meatballs with a big hunk of baguette, if you want to cut cooking time. They are equally delicious.

2 slices white bread, crusts removed
½ cup milk
1 pound ground pork
3 ounces prosciutto (about one ¼-inch thick slice), minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup golden raisins
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ cup breadcrumbs
2 ounces Fontina cheese, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups homemade or store-bought marinara sauce

Place bread in a small bowl, and pour milk over bread, until completely moistened. Let sit for 5 minutes. Pour off excess milk, wring out bread, and tear bread into small pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the bread, pork, prosciutto, eggs, Parmesan, pine nuts, raisins, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix until well combined. Add breadcrumbs, little by little, until mixture holds together and is not sloppy. (You may not need to use all the breadcrumbs.)

Form meat into 15 golf ball-sized meatballs. Create a hole in each meatball. Add cheese, and reshape into ball.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat, until shimmering, but not smoking. Add meatballs, spacing them at least an inch apart. Cook, turning, until meatballs are browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Cover with marinara, bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, partially covered, until meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

For printable version, click here.

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