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Saucy, gooey meatball sub is a mess, perfected

The Columbian
Published: January 19, 2015, 4:00pm

“This doesn’t exist in Italy,” says venerated chef Bob Kinkead, pointing to what’s left of the saucy, gooey sub on my plate — and chin. “It’s an Italian American immigrant success story.”

Kinkead and executive chef Jeffrey Gaetjen have built a simple premise into their food at Campono in the Watergate in Washington, D.C.: Make it the best way it can be done. For their meatball sub, that means baking rolls with a crackling semolina crust; veal, pork, beef and prosciutto plus three cheeses in the meatball mix; a spicy marinara; and melty, house-made mozzarella that hugs the components enough to guarantee a tidy first bite.

After that, “it’s a mess,” Kinkead says. “And I like it that way.”

Campono Meatball Sub

6 servings

2 tablespoons, plus 1/4 cup olive oil

1 small, finely diced onion

8 thinly sliced garlic cloves, divided

1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon, plus pinch crushed red pepper flakes

8 sliced of country white bread, torn into pieces

1/2 cup regular or low-fat milk

2 pounds ground veal

2 pounds 80/20 ground beef

1 pound ground pork shoulder

8 ounces finely chopped prosciutto

1 cup grated pecorino-Romano

1 cup whole-milk ricotta

6 large eggs

2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 1/2 cups finely chopped parsley

4 tablespoons, plus pinch of kosher salt

1 teaspoon, plus pinch of cracked black pepper

2 cups “00” flour for dusting

28 ounces canned whole San Marzano tomatoes (no can juices)

6 to 8 basil leaves

6 sub rolls

12 slices of fresh mozzarella

6 slices of provolone

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Stir in onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook just until the onion and garlic have softened; transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Soak bread pieces in a separate bowl with milk.

Add to the large bowl veal, ground beef, pork shoulder, prosciutto, pecorino-Romano, ricotta, eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, kosher salt, black pepper, and then soaked bread pieces. Using your clean hands, blend the mixture well.

Form it into 65 walnut-size meatballs. Coat each one lightly with flour, dividing them between two parchment-paper-lined, rimmed baking sheets. Roast in a 450 degree oven for 10 to 14 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

Use a food mill to puree tomatoes. Heat 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat, then add 4 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon dried oregano and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until the garlic starts to brown, then stir in the tomato puree. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, then taste and season lightly with kosher or sea salt and cracked black pepper. Stir in basil leaves. Turn off the heat. Transfer 30 of the meatballs to the saucepan, turning them until coated. Cool and reserve/freeze the remaining meatballs for another use.

Open sub rolls, keeping their halves partially attached; lay them on rimmed baking sheets. Tear out some of their inside bread. Spread a little sauce over the rolls; toast in 425 degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes (keep the oven on). Use 2 slices of fresh mozzarella and 1 slice of provolone to line each sauced sub roll, overlapping the slices to cover completely. Line up 5 sauced meatballs at the center of each sub roll; return to the oven just until the cheese has melted. Close each sandwich, then cut crosswise in half. Serve hot.

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