Ingredients: |
Ingredients: Broth: 1 onion, chopped 1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored and chopped 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 1/4 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed 4 oz. ground pork 4 oz. lean ground beef 1 bay leaf 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 4 cups chicken broth 2 cups beef broth 2 cups water
Meatballs: 1 slice white sandwich bread, crust removed, torn into 1-inch pieces 5 tbsp. heavy cream 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 4 tsp. onion, finely grated 1/2 tsp. garlic, finely grated salt and pepper to taste 6 oz. ground pork 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 6 oz. ground beef 2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped 1 cup ditalini pasta 6 cups kale, stemmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
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Directions: |
Directions:Broth: Heat onion, fennel, garlic, mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste, pork, beef and bay leaf in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until meats are no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add wine and Worcestershire; cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, beef broth, and water; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Meatballs: While broth simmers, combine bread, cream, Parmesan, onion and garlic; salt and pepper to taste in bowl. Using fork, mash mixture to uniform paste. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat pork, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt on high speed until smooth and pale, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Add bread mixture, beef and oregano. Mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl as needed. Using moistened hands, form heaping teaspoons of meat mixture into smooth, round meatballs. You should have 30 to 35 meatballs. Cover and refrigerate meatballs for several hours up to 1 day. They should be firm. Next, strain broth through fine-mesh strainer; set over large bowl or container, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. (Broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Skim off fat before reheating.) Wipe out Dutch oven and return broth to pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Add pasta and kale; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add meatballs; return to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until meatballs are cooked through and pasta is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. |