TIP OF THE DAY: Gourmet Meatball Sub

April 1, 2013 at 7:06 am · Filed under Bread-Crackers-Sandwiches, Entertaining, Recipes, Tip Of The Day

Nice enough, but you can make a meatball
sub that soars to new heights. Photo
courtesy Earl of Sandwich.

As popular as meatball submarine sandwiches are, they’re pretty ho-hum. Even if you make the tastiest meatballs and marinara sauce, there’s still room for improvement.

Today‘s tip: Play around with different ingredients until you create your meatball sub masterpiece. You can turn the search into a build-your-own party buffet for the Final Four, Memorial Day, Father’s Day or just because it’s party time.

Your first decision: what to put in the meatballs (a basic meatball recipe is below). Every ingredient counts, as does the quality of the meat and cheese.

Meat: beef, chicken, pork, pork-beef blend, turkey or vegetarian.

Meatball filling: bread crumbs or rice, onion, garlic, heat (crushed red pepper flakes, minced jalapeno), herbs (chopped parsley and/or cilantro, rosemary, thyme).

Cheese: Argentine Sardo, grated Asiago, cotija, grana padano, Parmesan/Parmigiano Reggiano*, Pecorino Romano, Sbrinz or other hard cheese.

Next decision: bread and toppings. Beyond the supermarket-variety “hero rolls,” consider:

Bread: baguette, garlic bread made on long rolls, semolina rolls…or think outside the elongated shape and pick up any good rolls offered by local bakers.

Next, what to layer atop the meatballs:

Cheese: crumbled goat cheese, shredded Gruyère or mozzarella (room temperature or melted under the broiler), grated Parmesan/Parmigiano Reggiano, sliced Provolone or Fontina.

Greens: arugula, shredded lettuce.

Heat: cracked red pepper, pickled or sliced fresh jalapeños (in addition to what you may have put into the meatball mix).

Herbs: chopped fresh basil, cilantro, parsley; dried oregano.†

Sauce: marinara, mushroom gravy, Parmesan cream sauce (recipe below), pesto, spicy Bolognese.

Garnishes: bacon strips, beans, caramelized onions, giardiniera, fried egg, sliced gherkins or other pickles, mashed potatoes, onion rings, sliced olives, sliced tomatoes.

*The difference: The product called Parmigiano Reggiano can only be made from local milk in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, where it is carefully monitored for quality by a supervising consortium. The related product made in the U.S. is called Parmesan. More about Parmigiano Reggiano.

†Oregano is the exception to the rule: It tastes as good fresh or dried.

You can also elect to “go global” with creations like these (and others that spring from your mind):

Greek Meatball Sub: dilled lamb meatballs with crumbled feta and yogurt sauce.

Indian Meatball Sub: curried lamb meatballs (add almonds and raisins), grated paneer cheese and raita sauce.

Hawaiian Meatball Sub: pork meatballs, sliced ham, pineapple slices, sweet gherkins.

EASY MEATBALL TEMPLATE

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds ground meat or poultry

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup Italian bread crumbs or panko

1 medium onion, chopped fine

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

A glamorous and flavorful chicken meatball sub. Photo by Jill Chen | IST.

1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 450°F.

2. PLACE ground meat in a large mixing bowl and with your knuckles or a large wooden spoon, punch a well into the center of meat. Fill the well with all of the other ingredients. Mix all ingredients until well combined.

3. DIVIDE mix into 4 parts, and divide each part into 4 meatballs. Place on a nonstick or parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 12 minutes. Cut one meatball open to check doneness.

EASY PARMESAN SAUCE RECIPE

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, cubed

1/2 cup quality grated Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

3/4 cup milk

1 dash ground nutmeg

1 dash pepper or more to taste

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Preparation

1. MICROWAVE cream cheese, milk and cheese on medium (50%) for 6-8 minutes or until sauce is smooth. Stir every 2 minutes.

3. BLEND in seasonings. Serve.

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