Description
Jumbo Brisket Meatballs are so tender and flavorful in an aromatic San Marzano Tomato Sauce. This sauce is a quick simmer with smoked chili flakes, orange peel strips and marjoram leaves. These jumbo meatballs are called polpette in Italy.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Jumbo Brisket Meatballs
- 2+1/2 pounds ground brisket
- cooking spray
- 2 cups unsalted matzo meal
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4+1/4 teaspoons Pure Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon crushed smoked chili flakes, or you can use red pepper flakes.
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon ground fennel seeds (optional). The flavor of the fennel is very characteristic. You can adjust to your taste if it’s too strong for you.
San Marzano Tomato Sauce
- 1/2 cup (about 18 garlic cloves) sliced garlic
- 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled, drained and crushed, San Marzano plum tomatoes
- 1/4 cup fresh marjoram leaves
- 5 (4 x 1 inch) orange peel strips
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon crushed smoked chili flakes, or you can use red pepper flakes.
Garnish:
- Fresh marjoram leaves
Instructions
Make the Jumbo Brisket Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with cooking spray.
- Combine main ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the ground brisket, matzo meal, water, eggs, olive oil, sea salt, ground fennel, black pepper and crushed smoke chili flakes.
- Mix together with your hands until combined, but do not overwork the mixture
- Make meatballs: Shape meat into 16-19 large balls (about 1/3 cup each). Arrange meatballs on prepared baking pan. I got 19 Jumbo Brisket Meatballs.
- Bake in preheated oven until browned and a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of meatball registers 150°F; about 22 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the San Marzano Tomato Sauce
- Cook garlic in olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir often until garlic is soft but not brown, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Make sure you don’t burn the garlic. If you need to reduce the heat, do it.
- Add crushed tomatoes, marjoram leaves, orange peel strips, salt, and crushed smoked chili flakes, or you can use red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and then remove from heat as soon as it reaches a boil.
- Transfer the Jumbo Brisket Meatballs into the San Marzano Tomato Sauce in the saucepan.
- Serve warm, garnished with marjoram leaves
- Prep Time: 23 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: meatballs
- Method: Bake, stove top
- Cuisine: Italian, Jewish