Harking back to the early months of 2021, America was in the grip of COVID, fear/debate, and many of us stayed indoors and focused on anything but COVID.
Think comfort foods. I had recently retired from a fulfilling media career of nearly 50 years. We menu plan at our house. I found myself cooking meals for my lovely wife on a regular basis. In other words, I was becoming fat and sassy!
One Friday night in February 2021, we were having a happy hour cocktail conversation while I played around on the internet. I saw a post that night from Niman Ranch. They are the largest farmers co-op in the country that features sustainable humanely raised meats from over 600 farms. They had teamed up with Spiceology, a large seasonings vendor, to create Meatball Madness. This meatball recipe contest was so named to cash in on the popularity of the NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament.
My wife and I love to eat Italian food. We love to make our own meatballs. My daughter says it’s her favorite dish of mine. On our travels around the country, we often sample meatballs and over time have developed a great recipe. A good meatball must be flavorful and tender—not a ball you bounce off the floor. Our problem that night was the submitted recipe had to include products from both of the sponsoring companies. We looked at the Spiceology website and selected three: Crushed Italian Seasoning, Cajun Blackening Seasoning, and something called Pizza Cheese Blend.
Happy hour continued, and we concocted our recipe based on those ingredients and our own techniques. We created a name for the recipe: “Parrain’s Family Jewels.” Parrain is a Cajun term for godfather, since these were a Cajun Italian hybrid.
Our submission was made and judged by a panel, and we made the final 16! We were placed into the Meatball Madness bracket. Now our recipe had to face a challenger to advance through the bracket. Our first challenger owned a food truck and catering business in Tampa, Florida. The website published the contestants and set aside one day for each competitor and their voters to cast ballots. The entries that made the final bracket with us were from all parts of the country and showcased numerous ethnic cuisines, all with meatballs. When we were up, we led the voting all morning and afternoon but were nipped at the wire. There are a few more votes in Tampa than we were able to muster, but it was an honor to be included.
For making the top 16, we received over $300 worth of product from the sponsoring companies. It was a great experience and more than validated our recipe and concept…and, yes, we did purchase those seasonings!
Recipe for Parrain’s Family Jewels
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork
6 slices white bread (crust off) soaked in milk (just enough to cover)
2 Tablespoons Crushed Italian Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Cajun Blackening Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Pizza Cheese Blend or add additional Parmesan cheese and a pinch of your favorite seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon garlic powder or more to taste
1 Tablespoon crushed oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Mix all ingredients well by hand and form into 16-17 large meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees on parchment paper lined pan for 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned.
Serve with your favorite red sauce and pasta of choice. Our housemade marinara is slightly sweet. These meatballs would also fit with an Arribiata sauce or diavolo sauce (both mildly spicy). Serve with a tossed salad and garlic bread. Enjoy the meal!