How to Make the Meatballs from Jimmy Kimmel's Emmy's Afterparty

When Jimmy Kimmel put down the mic at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards last night, he headed to The Lot in West Hollywood for an after-party catered by some legitimate heavy-hitters: Adam Perry Lang was there with his Texas BBQ, Chris Shepherd was making Korean braised goat dumplings, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo were slinging cubano sandwiches, and New York's Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo made their extremely delicious signature meatballs.

This serious spread was enjoyed by a handful of Jimmy’s famous friends including Matt Damon, Tom Hiddleston, Amy Schumer, John Mayer, Andy Samberg, Kit Harrington and others including F&W's own Gail Simmons (picturedherepartying with Tom Colicchio and Jesse Tyler Ferguson). We’ve heard there was dancing until after 3 a.m., but we’re honestly most envious of the food lineup.

Didn't get an invitation? You missed the party, but you can still have the meatballs:

Frankies' Meatballs
by Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo

4 slices bread (2 packed cups’ worth)
2 pounds ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus about 1 cup for serving
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
15 turns white pepper
4 large eggs
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Put the fresh bread in a bowl, cover it with water, and let it soak for a minute or so. Pour off the water and wring out the bread, then crumble and tear it into tiny pieces.

2. Combine the bread with all of the remaining ingredients except the tomato sauce in a medium mixing bowl, adding them in the order that they are listed. Add the dried bread crumbs last to adjust for wetness; the mixture should be moist wet, not sloppy wet.

3. Shape the meat mixture into handball-sized meatballs and space them evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The meatballs will be firm but still juicy and gently yielding when they’re cooked through. (At this point, you can cool the meatballs and hold them in the refrigerator for as long as a couple of days or freeze them for the future.

4. Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce in a sauté pan large enough to accommodate the meatballs comfortably.

5. Dump the meatballs into the pan of sauce and nudge the heat up ever so slightly. Simmer the meatballs for half an hour or so (this isn’t one of those cases where longer is better) so they can soak up some of the sauce. Keep them there until it’s time to eat.

6. Serve the meatballs 3 to a person in a healthy helping of red sauce, and hit everybody’s portion—never the pan—with a fluffy mountain of grated cheese.

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