Meatball Heroes

Heroes…

They come in all shape and sizes…All walks of life… Can you imagine a life without heroes? Without someone to save the day? I shudder to even consider it…

We have our cartoon Super heroes…

Batman – This billionaire playboy philanthropist moonlights as the man in a bat costume ridding the city of Gotham of its crime. Possessing absolutely no super power to speak of, The Batman uses the modern day power of billions, brains, techie toys and a kicky side-kick to put villains in their place. Holy Toledo, Batman!

Superman – Otherwise known as the man of steel… Rocketed to earth prior to the destruction of his home planet Krypton, he was then discovered and adopted by a Kansas couple. Raised as Clark Kent, he learned of his superpowers early and decided to use them for the benefit of humanity. More powerful than a locomotive, Superman spent his days saving the people of Metropolis and impressing his main squeeze, Louis Lane with his flying skillz.

Lion-o (the 80’s Lion-O): Easily the superhero with the hottest flippy hair, the young lord of the Thundercats continuously saves 3rd earth; a planet that inhabits about, oh, 12 people from the evil clutches of Mum-ra whose sole mission is to acquire the Eye of Thundera so evil can reign over 3rd earth. Again, a planet inhabiting like 12 people because he’s wiped out the human race. Thundercats – Ho!!

We have our real live heroes – Our doctors, Firemen, Policemen. Without them we’d be sick arsonists running rampant in streets devoid of order.

I kid…

These real-life heroes are owed much, much respect for risking their lives daily for us mere mortals.

And finally, we have the meatball hero. Filling bellies everywhere with super strength saucy meatballs, a gluten strand cape waving in the wind and cheesy armor. This is a real hero… A hero you can get down with…

The best part of this hero is that you – yes, you are responsible for creating it. All heroes are created; either through years of work, study, circumstance or the tip of a colored pencil.

I have complete faith in you. Let’s create a hero…

Mix lean ground beef with seasonings, cheese and bread and form meatballs. I love forming meatballs. It keeps my hands busy and allows my mind to space out. I like to imagine I’m married to Wolverine. He comes in handy with the knives. Ok, I’m really picturing myself married to Hugh Jackman… That man is dreamy…

Place your newly formed meatballs on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven for 25 minutes. Flip them once about halfway though.

Once they’re evenly brown plop them in a skillet full of simmering sauce for 10 minutes.

Cut a hero roll lengthwise and put those meatballs on top. Spoon in a little sauce, will ya? Top with mozzarella cheese and pop in the broiler until the cheese melts.

Now that’s the stuff heroes are made of…

Hot damn…

Love,

Me

Hero Jam (play it!): Bonnie Tyler ~ I Need A Hero

: Meatball Heroes

: Source: An M.O.B. Production inspired by ingredients I had on hand

For the meatballs:

• 1 cup of medium coarse Italian bread, chopped into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 lbs. of lean ground beef
• 1 medium carrot, finely grated
• 2 1/2 tablespoons finely grated onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp. of sofrito (link)
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/4 tsp. thyme
• 3/4 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper or adobo to taste

For the meatball heroes:

• 24oz of tomato sauce, jar or homemade
• 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, grated
• 4 medium sized hero rolls

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a shallow dish, soak the bread in the milk until soggy, about 4 minutes. The bread should be soggy, but not falling apart. Lightly squeeze the bread, transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl combine the ground beef, grated carrot, onion, garlic, sofrito, oregano, basil, thyme, and parmesan cheese. Stir or knead to fully combine. Add salt and pepper to taste, and then add the milk soaked bread. Stir or knead until fully combined.
4. Form the mixture into medium sized meatballs and place them on the prepared cookie sheet. You should have about 16 meatballs. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes flipping the meatballs halfway through. Cook until the juices run clear and the meatballs are evenly brown.
5. Bring tomato sauce to a simmer in a large sized skillet. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

It’s about to get real…

1. Slice a hero roll, but don’t slice the roll all the way through. Add 4 meatballs to the roll, placing them lengthwise.
2. Spoon some sauce over the meatballs and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
3. Place the completed hero in the broiler portion of your oven (a toaster oven works too) and broil until the cheese has melted, about 5-6 minutes.
4. Wait for your hero to cool a bit… Take a bite…

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 35 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4