Meatball Subs!

One of the things I miss about not living in New York any longer is good pizza.  (And bagels - but that's a different story).  There are acceptable pizza places here in the realm of the Brave Astronaut.  For good NY Style pizza, I tend to like Mamma Lucia's.  Of course, the Italian Inn is our go-to for Pizza / Movie night, but that is a different kind of pizza.

I also miss a good "meatball parmigiana hero" - I put it in quotes because here, they call it a sub, or a hoagie.  But when it's done right, it's a hero.  And heroic.

I spotted this recipe a while back in the Washington Post Magazine - it seems like a lot of work, but it might be worth my time in the future.

Campano Meatball Sub 
Servings: 6

Ingredients
For the meatballs

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for your hands 
• 1 small onion, cut into small dice 
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano 
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 
• 8 slices white/country bread, preferably crusts removed, torn into bite-size pieces 
• 1/2 cup whole or low-fat milk 
• 2 pounds ground veal 
• 2 pounds 80/20 ground beef 
• 1 pound ground pork shoulder (butt) 
• 8 ounces finely chopped or ground prosciutto 
• 1 cup freshly grated pecorino-Romano cheese 
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 6 large eggs 
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 
• 4 tablespoons kosher salt 
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper 
• 2 cups "00" flour, for dusting 

For the sauce

• 28 ounces canned whole San Marzano tomatoes 
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• Kosher or sea salt 
• Freshly cracked black pepper 
• A few fresh basil leaves (optional) 

For assembly

• 6 sub rolls, partially split 
• 12 thin slices good-quality mozzarella cheese 
• 6 slices provolone cheese 

Directions
For the meatballs: Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, stir in the onion, garlic, dried oregano and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook just until the onion and garlic have softened but not browned; transfer to a very large mixing bowl.

Combine the bread pieces and milk in a medium bowl; let the mixture sit for a few minutes so the milk is completely absorbed.

Add to the large bowl the ground veal, ground beef, ground pork shoulder, prosciutto, pecorino-Romano, ricotta, eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper and the soaked bread pieces; use your clean hands to blend the mixture until well incorporated.

Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 450 degrees. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the "00" flour in a wide, shallow bowl.

Grease your hands with a little oil. Form the meatball mixture into 65 meatballs of equal size (shell-on walnuts). Coat each one lightly with "00" flour, dividing them between two parchment-paper-lined rimmed baking sheets. Roast on the upper and lower racks for 10 to 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until the meatballs are browned and cooked through. Discard any remaining flour.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: Use a food mill to puree the tomatoes. Discard the seeds; reserve the can juices for another use, if desired.

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the garlic, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and dried oregano. Cook just until the garlic starts to brown, then stir in the tomato puree. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, then taste, and season lightly with kosher or sea salt and cracked black pepper. Stir in 6 to 8 basil leaves, if desired. Turn off the heat. Transfer 30 of the meatballs to the saucepan, turning them until coated. Cool and reserve the remaining meatballs for another use.

When ready to assemble, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Open the sub rolls, keeping their halves partially attached and laying them on two rimmed baking sheets. Tear out some of the inside bread (to create room for the meatballs). Spread a tablespoon or two of the marinara sauce over both halves of each open-faced roll; toast in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes; keep the oven on.

Line each sub roll with the mozzarella and provolone slices, overlapping and/or tearing the slices so the inside roll surfaces are covered. Line up 5 sauced meatballs at the center of each sub roll; return to the oven just until the cheese has melted.

Close each sandwich, top side up, then cut crosswise in half. Serve hot.