The idea was to incorporate mortadella into meatballs. Good mortadella is not easy to find on a consistent basis. We opted to look at the bigger picture and realize mortadella is just fancy baloney with fat inclusions. We ground up baloney, cornflakes, carrots, onions and celery. We kneaded the mixture into ground beef with pecorino romano and two eggs. The mixture was soft and delicate. We opted to shape the meatballs and bake them in the oven to set them and brown them. The baking was strategic. We did not want the meatballs blowing out in a pan of oil or in a pot of sauce. When the meatballs were roasted and set like a custard we ate a few. They were rich and delicate. We slid the remaining meatballs into the pot of sauce we had simmering on the stove. They braised away, imparting a richness to the sauce, and the sauce brought a counterpoint of acidity and brightness to the meatballs. Baloney meatballs have passed the test.
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