Pork Meatball Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork preferably Italian sausage
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe approx. 1/2 pound
- 1 large onion
- 1 large shallot
- 3 anchovies filet in olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup parsley leaves fresh
- 1 tbsp harissa
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 8 oz provolone cheese sliced, 1 package
- 1/4 cup pecorino cheese shaved
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp Calabrian chilies (optional)
- 1 cup white wine
- 4 Semolina or regular steak rolls
- olive oil extra virgin
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
Preparation
- Place the ground pork in a large bowl.
- Peel the onion and shop it into a small dice (1/4 inch cubes) and add it to the pork.
- Finely chop the parsley (stems and leaves) and add it to the pork.
- With the side of your knife, smash the garlic cloves on your cutting board, peel them, and finely chop. (Alternatively, you can use a garlic press.) Add to the pork.
- Add the spices.
- Crack the egg and add it to the mix,
- Season with salt and pepper and mix until all the ingredients are combined.
- Set in the fridge to rest so that all the flavors can come together.
Make the Seasoning for the Broccoli Rabe
- Finely chop the shallots and the garlic.
- Take a large sauté pan, don't turn the heat on yet, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, shallots, garlic, and anchovies. You don't need to chop the anchovies first as they kind of disintegrate while they are cooking.
- Turn the heat on medium-low and cook 6-8 minutes. Don't let the vegetables caramelize, you want to slowly sweat them to bring out the sweetness.
Preparing the Broccoli Rabe
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Cut half and ince off the bottom part of the broccoli rabe's stems and add to the pot of boilng water.
- While it's cooking, prepare an ice bath in a clean bowl.
- Cook the broccoli rabe for 4-5 minutes. You can take one out of the water to check if it is cooked properly. They need to be bright green and you want the stems to still be crunchy.
- When ready, move them to the water bath to stop the cooking process and keep the color bright.
- Drain them very well: first in a colander and then on a cooking sheet lined with a kitchen towel.
- You can pass the broccoli rabe on a very hot grill pan or flat top to give them some extra flavor from the grill marks, but that is optional.
- Chop the broccoli rabe into 2-inch pieces and add them to the garlic-shallots pan to mix all those delicious flavors together. Set aside.
Making the Meatballs
- Take the meatball mix out of the fridge and start forming it into meatballs. Each meatball should be about 3 tablespoons of meat mixture.
- Place a large sauté or cast iron pan on high heat on the stove.
- When the pan is very hot, add a drizzle of olive oil.
- Place some of the meatballs in the pan taking care to not over-crowd. You will probably have to cook the meatballs in batches. Get a nice sear on one side before flipping them.
- Add the white wine to the pan. If you care cooking the meatballs in two batches, add 1/2 cup per pan. Let the wine reduce by half, then turn the heat down to low, cover with a lid and cook for 8-10 minutes until the meatballs are thoroughly cooked.
Assembling the sandwiches
- Turn the oven on to 450F
- Slice the dinner rolls in half lengthwise.
- Spread one tablespoon of mustard on the bottom part of each sandwich.
- Add some of the broccoli rabe, top with 3 meatballs per sandwich.
- Grate a tablespoon of Pecorino Romano cheese per sandwich on top of the meatballs, then add 3 slices of provolone.
- Put in the oven, open-faced, and cook for 8-10 minutes until the cheese has melted. If you like a nice caramelization on the cheese, you can cook it on the broiler option for 4-5 minutes, making sure the bread doesn't burn.
- Take the sandwiches out of the oven. If you like it spicy, drizzle 1/2 teaspoon, or more, of Calabrian chilis on top of the cheese.