Adapted from Buvette: The Pleasure of Good Food by Jody Williams (Grand Central Life & Style, 2014)
Serves 4 generously
Because I make meatballs often and love my own, I surprised myself the first time we went to Gusto Ristorante on Greenwich Avenue with Godfrey and Angela, who lived in that neighborhood, when I ordered the Sicilian meatballs. I don’t know why I did; maybe nothing else on the menu appealed to me. However inexplicable, they arrived in a dark red, savory tomato sauce and were absolutely delicious. I couldn’t stop thinking about them. A week later, I was back again—and again I ordered the meatballs.
I found out the chef at Gusto was Jody Williams. When she moved from Gusto to Morandi, the meatballs—and I—moved with her. Then, in 2011, she opened a charming café in the West Village called Buvette. When I went, the meatballs weren’t on the menu. But when Buvette: The Pleasure of Good Food was published, there they were.
The pork and beef are well seasoned and bound together with egg and breadcrumbs. The pine nuts add crunch; the currants bring a gentle sweetness; the vinegar brightens the whole thing. I make these with my own tomato sauce (because the dark, smooth sauce I had at Gusto has eluded me to this day) and serve them with pasta, polenta, or just crusty toasted bread.
¼ cup dried currants
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
¼ cup pine nuts
2 large eggs, beaten
½ pound ground pork
½ pound ground beef
½ small yellow onion, peeled and grated on a medium ribbon Microplane
1 garlic clove, rubbed through a standard Microplane
1 tablespoon freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
A little freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated on a Microplane
2 ounces dried breadcrumbs
Neutral oil for frying (I use grapeseed; olive oil would also work)
Serve with your favorite tomato sauce
Put the currants and vinegar in a small bowl and add a little warm water to soften them. Let soak for 10 minutes, then drain.
Toast the pine nuts in a skillet. I use a 10-inch cast iron pan, which gives me plenty of room to stir them as they toast. They get crunchy as they turn slightly golden—they don’t have to fully color—so take them out just before you think they’re done. Above all, don’t let them burn or you’ll have to start over.
Break the eggs into a large bowl and beat them with a fork. Add the ground pork, ground beef, onion, garlic, parsley, drained currants, toasted pine nuts, nutmeg, salt, pepper, cheese, and breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly with your hands.
Portion the mixture using a 1½-inch scoop the first time to get an idea of the size. Then use that as a guide to make the meatballs with your hands; they don’t have to be perfectly round.
Heat about ¼ inch of oil in a large skillet and brown the meatballs on all sides. I use neutral grapeseed oil, but olive oil works well too.
Add the browned meatballs to your simmering tomato sauce and cook for 20 minutes.
NOTES:
I make these meatballs with Barricated White Balsamic from Italian Fork instead of sherry vinegar, which Jody Williams uses. This white balsamic used to be sold as “Vanishing Grape” White Balsamic by Batistini Farms. Years ago, Laura Maddox sent me a bottle as a thank-you gift, and I became so attached to it that I ordered it six bottles at a time. My neighbors and my friend Tracey did too. When it briefly disappeared from the market, I panicked and wrote to the company asking if they had any left. Thankfully, it eventually reappeared under its current name. It has a gentle sweetness and soft acidity that work beautifully with the currants and pine nuts—and every salad I make.
These meatballs are not in the Via Carota cookbook, which is a worthy addition to any cookbook collection, so I would recommend “bookending” it with Buvette: The Pleasure of Good Food. That way you will have the sensibilities of both chefs at Via Carota — Jody Williams and Rita Sodi — reflected on your shelf.
