Mature Veal Polpette (AKA Meatballs)

I came home today and had an incredible craving for meatballs. So, I decided to make some of my favorite ones, which my mom has made before from a Rachael Ray cookbook. They're very very good, simple, and have a little surprise inside. So...win? I'm calling them "Mature Veal", because I couldn't get veal, so I went with just plain ole beef.


Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground veal (in this case, I had to just use plain hamburger...which is good too)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 egg
• 1/2 - 2/3 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Olive oil
• Pine nuts and raisins (enough for each meatball, about a half a handful of each)
  

Method:

• Mix the meat in a bowl together with everything minus the pine nut and raisin (the surprise(s) in the middle!!) with a nice drizzle of olive oil.
  
• Roll the meatballs to the desired size (I think they're better a little smaller, about 1.5 inches diameter). Place one pine nut and one raisin in the middle, and place on a rimmed cookie sheet.
• Bake at 400F for 10 mins (or until cooked through).
  

I served these with a can of "Caramalized Onion" Marinara Sauce (by D'Angelos I think...), which may or may not be discontinued at this point. It was really really good, and easy to add to it. I know the recipe in the 365: No Repeats Book has a great Tomato and Basil sauce to go with it...so if you want to make it homemade over spaghetti, look there.