Genoese meatballs in sauce are similar to traditional dishes in many Italian regions. Ligurian cuisine adds two indispensable ingredients to the minced beef: pine nuts and marjoram, and they can be made either with white wine or with tomato sauce.
Here you will find very indicative quantities, also because if you go and ask your grandmothers for the recipe they will say that you have to add a bit of this and a bit of that… which means “go by eye”. This is also because meatballs were often considered a recipe for “recycling” of leftovers which included anything that was available.
To make the mix softer, I recommend adding ricotta but bread soaked in mild serves just as well. For the meat, top quality beef is excellent but so is a mix of minced beef and pork.
I will give you a very convenient idea for preparing two meals in one: if you add more tomato sauce you will obtain both a great pasta sauce and excellent meatballs to serve as a main course with boiled potatoes and a good seasonal salad. Don’t forget the Genoese focaccia to mop up the sauce!
Ingredients
For about 50 meatballs
For a generous pasta sauce
Tools
Steps
Put the minced meat in a bowl.
Chop the garlic with the marjoram and pine nuts. Add the meat.
Add the eggs, grated cheese, ricotta, salt and pepper.
Mix well first with the fork and then with your hands.
Form round balls with wet hands. They are also fine a little irregular, they look more homely, like granny’s recipe. The mixture should produce about fifty meatballs. Flour them.
Pour the oil with the garlic and pine nuts into a pan, preferably non-stick.
Fry lightly. Add the meatballs and fry lightly and evenly for 5 minutes, turning over with the tongs so that they do not break.
Sprinkle with wine, allow the alcohol to evaporate, add the tomato sauce, cover and cook for 15 minutes with the lid on and for 5 minutes with the lid off. If the meatballs dry out too much, add a little water, if they are too liquid, extend the cooking time a little.
Note: if you do not want a pasta sauce too reduce the amount of tomato a little.
Season with salt and serve the meatballs nice and hot in their sauce.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What happens if I can’t find marjoram?
Try with oregano, parsley and rosemary.
If I use the sauce for pasta can I add a few meatballs.
Of course! You can also try them with plain boiled rice.
Varied doses for servings