Although the Lemon Chicken (pollo al limone) is the most popular dish at Rao’s in East Harlem, the meatballs must be the most famous. Here I will demonstrate how to cook these delicious meatballs at home.
The recipe is available here: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=215706&page=1
Ingredients required: (yields 14-16 meatballs)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
2 eggs
1 cup Romano cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 minced garlic clove
1 lightly smashed garlic clove
Salt and Pepper
2 cups plain bread crumbs (I strongly recommend 1 cup)
2 jars Rao’s Marinara Sauce (about $10 a jar, expensive!)
2 cups water
1 cup olive oil
Frying pan, preferably cast-iron skillet
1. Assemble ingredients
(Left to right: beef, pork, veal)
2. With your bare hands, mix the beef, veal and pork
3. Crack two eggs and whisk
4. Add the eggs into the meat
5. Add the cheese
6. Add the parsley
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7. Mince the garlic, add to meat
8. Add bread crumbs into mixure. Ingredients called for 2 cups, I used 1 cup
9. Slowly add water, mixing into meat
10. Shape into meatballs, making about 14-16
11. Heat olive oil in skillet
12. Saute garlic in oil until the clove turns brown
13. Add meatballs to heated oil
14. Turn the meatball when its bottom is well browned, repeat on both sides
15. Remove from pan, let drain on paper towels
16. Fill pan with tomato sauce (use Rao’s for more authenticity), begin to heat
17. Boil pasta, add to mixture
18. Serve with plenty of garlic bread!
