Deer (Meat)balls...

It's a snowy day in Kansas City… normally when it's snowing or too cold (or too hot… for when I lived in Arizona), I make my Nonno Tony's sauce.  Yes, it's my Grandfather's recipe and not my Grandmother's and maybe some day I will share it all with you all but this post is dedicated to the little balls of glory that you place in the sauce to make it perfect… meatballs, made with the deer meat my husband so lovingly shot down in Montana this past fall.

Your best friends for this recipe are a food scale and a mini cupcake tin.  If you do not have these, no worries.  You can just eyeball the quantities.

Ingredients

• 12 oz ground venison (feel free to substitute with a ground pork or beef option, or better yet mix the two together for a more authentic italian ball)
• 1 oz pancetta, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped finely
• 3 TBSP bread crumbs (I used a gluten free variety)
• 2 oz ricotta (skim or non-fat)
• 2 TBSP egg substitute
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp basil
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix well using a fork.  I say fork because it will keep the meat from compressing and thus becoming more tough during the cooking process.
3. Measure the meat out in 1oz portions and place in the mini cupcake tin (if you do not have a scale but have a mini cupcake tin, the meat will fit perfectly in the tin when formed in a ball).
4. Bake for 20 minutes
5. Remove from oven and drain the meatballs from the grease.  Add them to your favorite sauce and simmer for another 10-20 minutes.  Serve over pasta… or spaghetti squash… or in a grinder for a delicious sandwich