I first came across this recipe on Smitten Kitchen right after Superbowl Sunday. We had been visiting friends and celebrating Waitangi Day over in Vancouver and so missed the Superbowl, spending the day on the ferry and bus instead. So there were no special superbowl treats in our house that weekend, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t enjoying reading all about them across the blog world. As much as I love foods that go with certain festivities I really don’t think you need the special occasion to make them and so I post it noted this Superbowl recipe which graced our tables this week. First up I wasn’t keen on using a purchased sauce for my subs, so I made a roast tomato sauce by Donna Hay. While the tomatoes and garlic were a roasting I was up to my elbows in meatballs, getting a whole baking tray ready. I guess I really should have made a half batch but I figured these would be tasty, and we like leftovers.
From the get-go this is not a difficult recipe, but the time can add up once you’ve got the sauce, made the meatballs, browned the meatballs, simmered them in the sauce, caramelised the onions and grated the cheese. There’s also not much in the way of veg with this meal so I’d suggest a side salad, though I have to admit we didn’t as we had this meal Monday, after running group, and after Wil had done a couple of hours overtime from home, still in his running gear. They were good, but not mindblowingly awesome. The leftover sub the second day was better still, the leftover meatballs with sauce and a little spaghettini the third day was better yet. I’ve since passed this along to a couple of coworkers so we’ll see how their families like this recipe. I’m in two minds about meatballs of any kind – they seem to take more time and effort than their taste allows, and while I keep finding better and better recipes I just don’t know if it’s worth it when I don’t think they’ll ever be a favourite. But then again maybe they will. I guess time will tell.
The baguettes or seeded sandwich rolls you’ll use for your sandwiches
2 pound ground meat of your choice (I used pork)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
Olive oil
4 cups prepared tomato sauce*
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Assembly
2 cups coarsely shredded Gruyère
Make the meatballs: Split your rolls almost the whole way through, leaving one side attached. Scoop out some of the roll to create a channel for the meatballs to rest in. Grind the bread you pulled out in a food processor or tear it into minuscule bits. You will need 1 1/3 cups or 2 3/4 ounces of fresh breadcrumbs for the meatballs. If you’re not making subs, you can get this same amount of breadcrumbs from 2 to 3 sandwich bread slices. Set rolls aside until later.
Place the fresh breadcrumbs in a large bowl with 3/4 cup warm water (I just splashed some in, nowhere near this much, and our baguette didn't produce much for crumbs so I used some panko crumbs that I had in the cupboard) and all of the meatball ingredients except for the olive oil and tomato sauce. Combine with a fork, breaking up clumps of meat until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Form mixture into 2-inch meatballs are arrange on a tray. I find wet hands make it easier to form meatballs without them sticking too much.
Heat a generous slick of oil (few tablespoons) in a large sauté pan with a lid. Brown meatballs in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan or nudge them before they are nicely browned or they will stick and you’ll leave delicious meatball bits in the pan. These meatballs are soft, so use a gentle hand. Transfer meatballs to a paper towel-lined tray and continue until they are all browned.
Discard the oil and heat your tomato sauce in the pan. Add the meatballs, cover the pan and simmer them on the lowest heat possible for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.
Caramelize onions: While the meatballs are simmering, you can cook the onions. Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion, sprinkle with salt and a little pepper and cook until they’re tender, sweet, and a deep golden brown, stirring occasionally. This takes me about 30 minutes.
Assemble subs: Arrange meatballs with sauce in the hollowed-out roll(s). Drape caramelized onions over the top and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Place subs under a broiler or in an oven at top heat to melt the cheese.
* I made my own using Donna Hay’s Roast Tomato Sauce recipe
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