Meatballs al Forno

Name: Meatballs al Forno
Yield: makes 24 meatballs or 8 servings
Ingredients: 3/4 cup diced day-old, crustless bread; 1/4 cup whole milk; 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 6 ounces), plus a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano for grating; 1/2 large yellow Spanish onion, minced (about 1 cup); 2/3 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves; 2 extra-large eggs; 4 large garlic cloves, minced; 2 to 3 teaspoons pure ground red pepper flakes, plus more to taste; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 pound ground pork (preferably pork butt); 1 pound ground veal; 6 1/2 ounces pancetta, finely chopped or minced in a miniature food processor; All-purpose flour, for dredging (about 2 cups); 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed; 1 quart Passata di Pomodoro (page 25) or tomato sauce; 1 quart Basic Chicken Stock (page 27); 3 dried bay leaves; 3 dried arbol chiles; Buttered semolina toast (optional)

January 26, 2012

When I was building the Pizzeria menu, I wanted it to be a true Italian pizzeria experience with a nod to the Italian-American pizzerias that I grew up eating in. With those American pizzerias in mind, I felt that we had to offer meatballs. What I really wanted to serve was a meatball sandwich, but as strongly as I argued for it, Matt argued against it. He softened over time and finally, two years after the Pizzeria opened, I got my meatballs—not as a sandwich, but as an antipasto: a bowl of meatballs served with buttered semolina toast on the side. Today they are the most popular antipasto in the restaurant.

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