Meatballs with Prosciutto
1/4 pound pancetta, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound brioche, or pain levain, trimmed of its crust, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
Milk to cover the brioche,
2 cups finely diced onion (about 1 large onion
1 cup finely diced carrot (about 2)
1 cup finely diced celery (about 2 large stalks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup good red wine
2 cups chicken stock
32 ounces marinara sauce (Rao’s preferred)
1/4 pound finely diced prosciutto
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground veal
1 pound ground beef
1 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
Heat a large heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pancetta and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook, stirring often, until the pancetta starts to brown slightly. In the meantime cover the brioche with milk. Place a plate on top to weigh it down. Let soak at least a half an hour.
Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pancetta. Cook slowly until translucent, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes, stirring all the time. Add the red wine, stock and sauce and bring to a low simmer.
Remove the brioche from the milk, pressing out most of the milk. Gently crumble the brioche and combine with the prosciutto, pork, veal, beef and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Cook off a small taster piece to check the seasoning. Loosely form the meat mixture into about 25 meatballs. Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat, add the remaining olive oil. Add enough meatballs to sauté without crowding. Brown the meatballs on all sides and then add to the sauce. Complete cooking the meatballs in batches until they are all cooked and in the sauce. Bring the sauce and meatballs back to a low simmer and cook at a low simmer for 2 hours.
