substitute for veal on Rao’s meatballs
In Rao’s meatballs if I can’t find ground veal should I use 1.5 lbs of beef, 1 lb of pork, or 0.5 pounds of something else like chicken or turkey?
Recipe question for:
Rao's Meatballs
4 Comments
Phong N.February 13, 2024
You could just go to a straight 1:1 mix of beef and pork (or 2:1 meat/pork) and it would work great. One nice trick from Kenji Lopez-Alt/Serious Eats to do something similar is to add some gelatin to meatball mix.
HappygoinSeptember 1, 2022
If you don’t follow the recipe exactly, whatever you do, do not leave a review saying so. There’s a troll who keeps following reviews and flaming people who don’t follow the recipe to the letter.
Who has the time to do that!!??
Who has the time to do that!!??
GammyAugust 31, 2022
These meatballs are really good! By choice I don't eat veal, so I make up the difference with pork. I make them smaller (like 2" instead of 3") so I have plenty to IQF and shrink wrap for future dinners. Maybe they aren't exactly like Rao's, but probably as close as I'll ever come to enjoying their dishes.
702551August 31, 2022
There are tons of options here.
You could add 1/2 lb. of either beef or pork. You could split the difference and add 1/4 lb. of each. You could add ground poultry although I probably wouldn't (it has a different consistency). Another option would be to sub in ground lamb. Many would probably add more of what's cheapest that day.
Remember that meatballs have been around for millennia, predating the concepts of standardized measurements and written recipes for household cooks. You basically made do with whatever you had on hand which is the mantra of peasant cooking; meatballs fall solidly into this category since it was a way to share a small amount of meat to a larger number of mouths.
If you don't like lamb, put in something else. If you want more of a beefy flavor, add more beef. If ground chicken is on sale and you think it will taste good, go for that.
Personally, I'd probably add more ground pork for my taste buds.
Nothing has really changed over the millennia, the ultimate goal of a cook is to put food on the table that dinner guests will enjoy. It's your taste buds, your wallet, your call.
Best of luck.
You could add 1/2 lb. of either beef or pork. You could split the difference and add 1/4 lb. of each. You could add ground poultry although I probably wouldn't (it has a different consistency). Another option would be to sub in ground lamb. Many would probably add more of what's cheapest that day.
Remember that meatballs have been around for millennia, predating the concepts of standardized measurements and written recipes for household cooks. You basically made do with whatever you had on hand which is the mantra of peasant cooking; meatballs fall solidly into this category since it was a way to share a small amount of meat to a larger number of mouths.
If you don't like lamb, put in something else. If you want more of a beefy flavor, add more beef. If ground chicken is on sale and you think it will taste good, go for that.
Personally, I'd probably add more ground pork for my taste buds.
Nothing has really changed over the millennia, the ultimate goal of a cook is to put food on the table that dinner guests will enjoy. It's your taste buds, your wallet, your call.
Best of luck.
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