Recipe

Mini Meatballs

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This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Meatballs

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best One-Bite Party Snack
Chef
testkitchenette's Notes: These meatballs were inspired by a long ago trip to Spain when I (along with my mother and grandmother) accompanied my exchange student Joel back to his home city Alcoy after spending a year...
These meatballs were inspired by a long ago trip to Spain when I (along with my mother and grandmother) accompanied my exchange student Joel back to his home city Alcoy after spending a year as a Rotary exchange student in my school and a second brother/son in my house for six months. It was my first European trip and I was beyond impressed. The sights, the beaches, the nightclubs, and most importantly the food were beyond my 17 year old expectations. My taste buds were wowed time and time again with traditional paella, rabbit, fresh grilled squid, brick oven fired snails (cargolada), and Nutella (which I had never tasted before). Joel's mother, their family friends/relatives all contributed to our culinary education while there. At a relatively sedate family lunch or dinner (only 4 or so bottles of wine were opened) we feasted upon a baked meatball penne pasta dish that Amparo (Joel's mother) had made. The mini meatballs were what made it. They were tender and sweet with a tang. Somehow I wrangled a recipe that involved pantomiming and trips pointing to ingredients in the refrigerator. Since then I have made these meatballs over and over again.

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Makes many mini meatballs

1 pound ground buffalo (I use organic and try to get grass fed if I can) Ask a question about this ingredient

2 handfuls breadcrumbs(fhomemade if possible) Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup finely grated parmesean or romano cheese Ask a question about this ingredient

1 egg Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon salt Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 teaspoon black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

1-2 tablespoon olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

Mix all ingredients except for the olive oil together until combined. Don't over-mix or they will be tough. Form into mini meatballs. I use the small ice cream scoop with the release handle. It is approximately 2 tablespoons.
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Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet (I use a non-stick one) and brown meatballs on all sides for 8-10 minutes. I drain my meatballs a bit on paper towels before serving.
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Enjoy in any application you choose from baked pasta to toothpicks.
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