Summer by Bravo 2013

Caroline Manzo: Queen of the Meatballs

Queen of the Meatballs - Rocco's Dinner Party - Caroline Manzo shares that her meatballs have won competitions and Rocco DiSpirito suggests she and his mom be put in a room to fight it out.

Rachel Ray had a "meatball throwdown" with The Real Housewives of New Jersey's Caroline Manzo and Teresa Giudice in a "Rival-Ray" challenge to see who makes the better meatballs!

"When people taste my meatballs, it's a little bit of heaven," proclaims Caroline, who says that the taste of her Mama Manzo's Miraculous Meatballs can stand on its own. "Teresa has to disguise her meatballs in her gravy," she says. "Not me - I'm commando. My meatballs are gonna kick your meatballs' butt!" "Who eats a meatball without sauce?" wonders Teresa. "It doesn't exist!" This fiery housewife named her Joe's Juicy Meatballs after her husband Joe ("he's absolutely juicy and delicious"), and claims that her recipe is the best because it's made by a true Italian. "Caroline, she's as Italian as the Olive Garden!" The cast of Jersey Boys were brought in as judges.

 Mama Manzo's Miraculous Meatballs against Juicy Joe's Meatballs.

Mama Manzo's Miraculous Meatballs

  • 9 slices white bread, divided
  • 1 1/2 pounds meatloaf mixture (a combination of ground beef, pork and veal)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk
  • Salt and pepper
  • A large handful Locatelli grated cheese
  • 6 to 8 large cloves of garlic, ground fine in a food processor
  • Vegetable Oil, for shallow frying

Yields: Serves 6

Preparation

Pulse 6 slices of white bread in a food processor to make homemade breadcrumbs. Combine homemade breadcrumbs with meat, egg, milk, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Cut crusts off remaining 3 slices of bread. Break the pieces up with your hands and combine with meat mixture. The mixture should be very loose.

Using 2 soup spoons, form the meat into balls and fry the balls in oil until brown.




 Joe's Juicy Meatballs

Ingredients

  • For the meatballs:
  • 1 pound high-quality, grass-fed ground beef with 85% fat content
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 6 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup 2% milk
  • 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
  • For the sauce:
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 small onion, chopped
  • 1 dried red pepper
  • 1 28-ounce can Redpack Crushed Tomatoes in Thick Puree
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt 
Yields: Serves 6

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Prepare the meatballs: Put all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Knead everything together with clean hands. You want to feel for the right texture -- It should be soft, but not sopping wet. If it's not soft enough, add 1 more tablespoon of milk.

Once all ingredients are combined, form balls the size of an egg by pushing them into the shape softly in your hands. Do NOT roll the meat into balls on your palms! Baby the meat, form it lovingly into the balls.

Place meatballs on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, remove and reserve.
Prepare the sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion, and sprinkle the salt over them to bring out their flavor. Break pepper in half to release the seeds and add it to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the can of crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add parsley. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Carefully add the meatballs to the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
Serve meatballs and sauce over spaghetti.