Green Olive Meatballs over Fusilli
Tender olive-studded beef meatballs with a bread-and-milk panade and Parmesan, seared and simmered in a deglazed passata sauce, tossed with fusilli.
Ingredients
- 500 gground beef
- 1/2 cupgreen stuffed olives (finely chopped)
- 2 sliceswhite bread (crusts removed, torn)
- 1/4 cupmilk (for the panade)
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cupParmesan (grated, plus 1/4 cup to finish)
- 5 clovesgarlic (minced, split between meatballs and sauce)
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 1/2 cupfresh parsley or cilantro (chopped, split)
- 3 tbspolive oil
- 1 white onion (diced)
- 1 stalkcelery (diced)
- 1 red or poblano pepper (diced)
- 1 jalapeno (minced)
- 200 gwhite mushrooms (sliced)
- 1/2 cupred wine (or beef stock)
- 500 mltomato passata
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tspred pepper flakes
- 1 pinchsugar (to balance acidity)
- 1 tbspolive brine (from the olive jar)
- 350 gfusilli or other pasta (Tornillos)
- 4 scallions (sliced, to finish)
Instructions
- 1
Make the panade: tear the bread into a bowl, pour over the milk, mash to a paste, and let sit 5 minutes. Set a large pot of well-salted water on to heat for the pasta. Chop all aromatics; reserve half the garlic and half the parsley for the meatballs.
05:00 - 2
Mix the meatballs: combine ground beef, chopped olives, the panade, egg, 1/3 cup Parmesan, half the garlic, oregano, salt (go light, the olives are salty), pepper, and half the parsley. Mix just until combined; overworking makes them dense. Roll 16 to 18 balls and chill 10 minutes if you have time.
10:00 - 3
Sear the meatballs: heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium-high. Brown the meatballs on all sides, about 4 minutes; they will not be cooked through. Remove and set aside.
04:00 - 4
Soffritto: in the same pan with the fond, cook the onion, celery, pepper, jalapeno, and remaining garlic until soft, about 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release and reabsorb their liquid, about 10 minutes total.
06:00 - 5
Deglaze and build the sauce: pour in the red wine, scraping up the browned bits, and reduce by half. Add the passata, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, sugar, and olive brine. Simmer 15 minutes to meld.
15:00 - 6
Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer until cooked through (74C internal), about 18 minutes, turning once. Discard the bay leaf.
18:00 - 7
Boil the fusilli until al dente. Reserve a mug of pasta water, then drain.
- 8
Toss the pasta into the sauce, keeping the meatballs on top so they don't break. Loosen with pasta water until it coats. Finish with scallions, the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, and remaining parsley.
Notes
Panade is the key to tender meatballs; don't skip the milk soak. Chilling the rolled meatballs helps the olive pockets not blow out during searing. Salt stacks up from olives, brine, and Parmesan, so taste the sauce before adding more. No wine: beef stock deglazes fine; a splash of balsamic adds the same backbone.
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