The meatballs were excellent. My friend Karen joined my mother and me for Christmas Eve. It was low-key but nice, sort of in keeping with the silent night thing. The food was really good and to me, very Christmas-y. The secret to the meatballs, texture-wise, is soda crackers softened in milk. Flavor-wise, the onions must be caramelized. And then make sure to brown them all over.
The side dish here is carrots glazed with 1 tsp of dark corn syrup and a pinch of thyme. Secret here: DO NOT EVER use those horrible “baby” carrots. First par boil the carrots and then finish them by sautéing in butter. Nothing bad ever comes from sautéing in butter. Except possibly heart attacks.
