Today's Recipe: Meatballs with Sage and Marsala Wine

[shel]

Meatballs with Sage and Marsala Wine
Polpettine alla Salvia

1 ½ Lbs lean minced (ground) beef
12 sage leaves, chopped fine
3 oz unsalted butter
1 ½ oz fresh grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
3 ½ oz dry Marsala wine (or mediun dry sherry)

Mix meat with sage leaves, half the butter, and the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste and let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for thirty or more minutes.

Form the mixture into small balls a little larger than a walnut, which should also bring the temp of the balls up to room temp, and then brown themin the remaining butter. When they are cooked pour the wine over them, allow a few minutes for evaporation, and then serve the meatballs in their own savory gravy.

[cookiecutter]

I used a recipe very similar to this over the weekend but I slow cooked the meatballs in the crockpot. YUM!

[Rob P.]

I made this tonight. I made some changes though.

I used dried parmesan instead of fresh. And, since there was a lot of cheese in the mix, instead of a red or Marsala wine I used a white gewerztraminer I had open. So, here's what I did:

1 1/2 lbs grnd beef
1/2 stick butter (1/8 cup) softened but not melted
2 tsp dried Sage
1/2 tsp salt
some grinds of fresh pepper (maybe 1/4 tsp)
1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 Cup wine

I followed the directions in mixing, resting, and cooking. I served on top of egg noodles with a green veggie on the side.

Some things I will do different next time. I need to reduce the amt of butter when frying the meatballs by half to 1/4 stick (2 tbl). I will also add some corn starch to the sauce to thicken it a bit after the wine evaporates. If I need more sauce I can add some beef broth when deglazing and before the corn starch. I will probably serve it next time over angel hair pasta instead of the egg noodles.

All in all, it was good. The gewertztraminer was light and kept the sauce from being heavy. It had a nice light yet meaty taste. In the end I was satisfied with the meal.