These satisfying breaded veal meatballs are paired with a luscious vodka sauce flavored to perfection with Nielsen-Massey s Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract and Paste.
Meatballs
450 g ground veal, thawed (may substitute with grass fed beef)
60 ml whole milk ricotta
13 g finely grated carrot
2 small green onions, thinly sliced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon organic garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste fresh Italian parsley, chopped (garnish)
Breading for Meatballs
65 g all-purpose flour
2 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
170 g plain panko bread crumbs
43 g freshly grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
For Meatballs
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack inside the foil lined baking sheet and coat the rack with cooking spray; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine meatball ingredients. Form mixture into meatballs, about 3 cm in diameter; set aside.
To bread meatballs, three bowls will be needed. In a first medium bowl, add flour. In a second medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. In a third medium bowl, add bread crumbs, Romano cheese and melted butter; stir to combine. Dust each meatball with flour, dip in egg wash, and coat with bread crumbs. Place breaded meatballs on wire rack and cook until done, about 30 minutes.
Makes 1.5 dozen meatballs. Serves 6
Vodka Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
120 ml vodka
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4 teaspoon organic garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (790 g) can whole tomatoes, drained
21 g freshly grated Romano
120 ml whipping cream, warmed
For Vodka Sauce
Add olive oil to a large sauté pan, and heat over medium heat. Add onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add vodka, basil, salt, vanilla extract, oregano, garlic powder and pepper; cook until reduced by half.
Place whole tomatoes in container of food processor or electric blender. Add reduced sauce mixture; cover and process or blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a large saucepan and place over medium heat.
Add grated Romano cheese and cream; stir until thoroughly combined. Simmer for 3 minutes, or until heated through. Serve vodka sauce with meatballs.
Serve Nielsen-Massey’s Vodka Sauce with other family favorites. Drain cooked pasta and toss with Vodka sauce and fresh basil.
Yields 950 ml of sauce. Serves 6
Note: You can use Pure Vanilla Bean Paste in place of Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste to achieve a different, but still delicious, flavor profile. Simply use the same amount of the Pure Vanilla Bean Paste