Sicilian Meatball Stuffing

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 50 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8 Servings

y mother loves Thanksgiving. Being an Italian immigrant, she feels like it’s the one American holiday that is celebrated the way most Italian ones are: with food.

Every year she would commence Thanksgiving dinner shopping no less than two weeks before. First came the tableware and decor. Then, new ingredients she had never cooked with before like marshmallows for yams (“This isa wha the America eats for the Thanksgive.”) so she could put some traditional American dishes on the table and, finally, items for the Italian dishes like her Italian stuffing — which was more of a deconstructed Sicilian meatball than traditional stuffing.

Made with golden raisins, pine nuts, two types of meat, and imported cheese, the oddity of ingredients this Italian immigrant was buying in American supermarkets raised an eyebrow. “Raisins and meat together?” they would always ask. “What are you making?”

Ingredients

5 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch celery, finely chopped
1 large white onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, thickly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 1/2 pounds ground beef
12 ounces ground veal
1 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, then drained
1 bay leaf (optional)
3/4 cup dry red wine
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups Italian-style breadcrumbs
1 large egg
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add the celery, onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the beef and veal and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces, until cooked through and browned. Add the pine nuts, parsley, raisins, and bay leaf if using. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pine nuts are lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.
Increase the heat to high. Once the ingredients start sizzling, add the wine and stir until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let cool until you can handle it with your hands. Add the cheese, breadcrumbs, and egg. Mix well until it forms a moist mixture. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Transfer to a 9x13-inch or 3-quart baking dish. Bake until heated through and golden-brown on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.