In the fall of 2007, Andy Williams asked me to help him develop a restaurant concept for the space next to his theater in Branson. I had worked for Andy in the past and knew that any restaurant that he put his name on would be first class. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance. I was in charge of conceptual development along with Andy and his wife Debbie as well as hiring, training, and basically everything else that has to be done in opening a restaurant. In the spring of 2007, we opened the Moon River Grill to much fanfare and a stunning VIP party that featured an 18 foot seafood display in a real canoe! The recipe below is a variation of one that I created for Andy.

Although you see meatballs at many football parties, rarely do you taste one home-made and as delicious as these!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¾ cup onions (finely minced)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 lb. ground round
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 egg, beaten until frothy
• 2 slices stale white bread
• ½ cups milk
• 3 teaspoons
• 2 teaspoons black pepper

PREPARATION

Heat sauté pan and add the oil. Sauté onions and garlic in sauté pan over medium heat until onions are soft. Add thyme, oregano and basil and sauté for another minutes or so. Chill onion mixture. Place bread and milk in a mixing bowl. Let bread soak until it absorbs all the milk then squeeze out milk, tear into small pieces, and combine with beef in a separate mixing bowl and add the onion mixture, the egg, and salt and pepper. Mix well (but do not over work the meat) this will make the meatballs tough. Weigh out 2 ounce portions. The meatballs should be perfectly round. This is achieved by using slightly wet hand and throwing the meatballs from one hand to the other a few times then making a perfect ball by gently rolling.

There are two methods for cooking the meatballs:

You can either bake in a 350° oven for 20 to 30 minutes or place raw meatballs in your favorite tomato sauce, bring to a simmer and cook in the sauce, covered, for 45 minutes.

You can use any number of different sauces for the meatballs and they can be served swimming in the sauce or with the sauce on the side for dipping.

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