Meatball Sub Sandwich

To prepare the meatball sub sandwiches, start by making the dough: place the all-purpose flour in a bowl, add the durum wheat flour 1 and the yeast 2, pour in a bit of warm water to start kneading 3, continue by gradually adding more water while mixing the dough with your other hand,

when the dough is well combined, knead it for a few minutes 4. At this point, add the salt 5 and the remaining water, being sure to pour it in gradually. The dough will be very soft, but easy to work with. When it is perfectly combined and smooth, lightly flour it 6.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap 7, let the dough rise at room temperature and away from drafts for about 8-10 hours or until it doubles in size. The times may vary depending on the season. Once the rising is complete, flip your dough onto a well-floured work surface with durum wheat flour 8, spread it out with your hands into a rectangle about 8 x 12 inches. It doesn't need to be precise because the dough is very hydrated 9.

Generously flour the surface of the dough using the durum wheat flour again and start cutting 4 breadsticks with the help of a dough scraper 10, gently place them on one or more baking trays lined with parchment paper. Dust the breadsticks with the durum wheat flour 11, cover the tray with a kitchen towel, and let them rise for about another hour. Move on to the preparation of the meatballs: in a bowl, add the ground meat, eggs 12, and mix with a fork to combine.

Season the mixture with salt 13, chopped garlic 14, and chopped parsley 15.

Finally, add grated Grana Padano DOP 16 and breadcrumbs 17, and mix again to obtain a homogeneous and compact mixture. Now you can form the meatballs: take handfuls of about 1.4 oz of mixture and create balls, placing them on a tray 18. You should obtain about 14 meatballs.

Peel and finely chop the onion 19, pour the oil into a non-stick pan, add the onion 20 and brown over low heat for a few minutes, add the tomato sauce 21,

season with salt, flavor with basil 22, and continue cooking over low heat. When the sauce comes to a boil, place the meatballs inside 23, cover with a lid 34, and continue cooking for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When cooking is complete, turn off the heat and keep warm 25. Preheat the oven to 430°F (in fan mode) and bake the breadsticks on the second lowest rack, cooking for about 10-12 minutes, the cooking time may vary depending on the oven, assess the desired browning 26.

Cut the breadsticks in half 27, fill with the sauce and meatballs 28, add a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese and a few basil leaves 29, close the meatball sandwiches and serve immediately 30.