Panade is a mixture of starch (bread, bread crumbs, Panko, crackers, etc) and liquid (milk, heavy cream, buttermilk, yogurt, etc) that forms a paste with the intent to keep the ground meat moist and tender. This works when the molecules of starch combine with the liquid to create a gel that lubricates the ground meat.
Panade is a mixture of starch (bread, bread crumbs, Panko, crackers, etc) and liquid (milk, heavy cream, buttermilk, yogurt, etc) that forms a paste with the intent to keep the ground meat moist and tender. This works when the molecules of starch combine with the liquid to create a gel that lubricates the ground meat.
We grew up with our mother mixing pieces of bread with milk to make tender hamburger patties and meat loaf and we never knew the name of this mixture was panade.
It is important when cooking ground meat to not have moisture loss, especially when it needs to be well-cooked for young children. Without the panade, the meat proteins create a dense web that contracts when the meat is cooked. When panade is added in the mixture, it cuts the moisture loss in half.
The panade forms a gel-like substance that lubricates the meat proteins and prevents them from linking together, which will make tough and dry cooked ground meat. The bread absorbs the meat juices like a sponge, which makes for a juicy end product. The addition of liquid also moistens the meat and makes it tender and juicy.
I made spaghetti and meatballs for our Rotary Club’s children’s Christmas party in December and used Cook’s Illustrated recipe. What is interesting about this recipe is the addition of unflavored gelatin. Since ground veal is difficult to get, and veal has lots of gelatin and adds suppleness to the meatballs, the addition of unflavored gelatin solves that problem.
The addition of prosciutto, which has a lot of glutamates, adds a more savory flavor. Tomato juice in the sauce gives a “clean, sweet” tomato flavor and adds body. Because I served this dish to children, I did not add the white wine to the sauce and it tasted great.
Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs For a Crowd
Serves: 12
Meatballs:
2 1/4 cups (6 ounces) Panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (one cup of plain yogurt thinned with 1/2 cup milk can be substituted for the buttermilk)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
1 pound lean ground pork
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped fine
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
6 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered unflavored gelatin, dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water
Table salt and ground black pepper
Place wire racks in two foil-lined baking sheets. Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine Panko bread crumbs and buttermilk in a large bowl and let sit, mashing occasionally, with a fork until smooth paste or panade is formed, about 10 minutes.
Add eggs, beef, pork, prosciutto, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, gelatin mixture, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to panade. Using hands, gently mix until thoroughly combined. Lightly form about 1/4 cup mixture into 2-inch round meatballs, 2 ounces, and make approximately 40 meatballs. (I used an ice cream scoop to form the meatballs. The meatballs were uniform in size)
Spray wire racks with nonstick cooking spray and place meatballs, evenly spaced on racks; roast until browned, about 30 minutes, rotating trays from front to back and top to bottom halfway through.
Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups grated onion from one to two onions (grate with large holes of box grater)
8 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 cups bottled tomato juice
3 (28 ounces) cans crushed tomatoes
6 tablespoons dry white wine
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 pounds spaghetti
1/2 cup minced fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Granulated sugar
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
While the meatballs are roasting, heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden around the edges, about eight minutes. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato juice, crushed tomatoes, wine, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste.
Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
Remove meatballs from oven and lower oven temperature to 300 degrees. Gently add meatballs to sauce, cover pot and place in oven. Cook until meatballs are firm and sauce has thickened, about one hour.
Meanwhile, bring 10 quarts of water to boil in 12-quart pot. Add pasta and 2 tablespoons salt to boiling water, cook until al dente. Drain pasta and return to cooking pot.
To serve: Stir basil and parsley into sauce and adjust seasoning with sugar, salt and pepper. Toss pasta with 1 1/2 cups sauce until lightly coated. Serve pasta, passing meatballs, remaining sauce and grated Parmesan cheese separately.
Small bites
This recipe calls for table salt. It is common salt or tiny, uniformly shaped crystals. However, I only have kosher salt and natural sea salt, with no additives (anti-caking agents) and the grains are coarse. One teaspoon of table salt equals 1 1/2 teaspoons of Morton kosher salt or 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Eric Anderson informed me pasteurized eggs are available at Foodland and Sack N Save.
Email me at audreywilson 808@gmail.com if you have questions.