Italian meatball recipe by Hans Välimäki

Interview with Hans Välimäki for Me Naiset Magazine

Chef and restaurateur Hans Välimäki is preparing Italian meatballs in a pan.

- The Mediterranean flavors come from the spices in these meatballs. In addition to Parmesan, they contain a lot of garlic, cayenne pepper, and capers.


The HEIROL carbon steel pan plays a crucial role. Carbon steel is a metal alloy known for its excellent heat conductivity, ability to heat evenly, and durability. "This frying pan is a joy to use! A pan like this only gets better with use, and you don't need to season it."

Välimäki enjoys cooking at home just as much as any other home cook, even if his workday has already involved hours of preparing food.

-Honestly, I still love it! When you make the food yourself, you get exactly what you want."

His personal touch is also evident in his Helsinki restaurant The Rook, which he opened in November 2023. There, traditional British pub food is combined with French cuisine.

- The food there is really good. I know because I eat there myself!"

Hans Välimäki’s home kitchen is equipped with many HEIROL kitchen tools.

HEIROL is a Finnish family business with 33 years of history, specializing in kitchen utensils for both cooking and baking. The company is the first and so far only Finnish business committed to a PFAS-free future. PFAS are coating chemicals that accumulate in humans and the environment over time, posing serious health risks. The EU is considering a complete ban on these so-called "forever chemicals" within the next few years.

- You can replace an old frying pan with a carbon steel pan like this one! It's so high-quality that we use it in my restaurants."

Find the recipe in the next section.

Recipe

Italian meatballs

600g ground pork-beef mix or just pork
Salt
Black pepper
3-4 garlic cloves
2-3 peeled and chopped yellow onions
2 tbsp caper berries
3-4 tbsp caper juice
Basil
Chives
Oregano
3 tbsp tomato purée
3 tbsp spicy tomato sauce (e.g., arrabbiata) or homemade sauce
4-5 tbsp grated Parmesan

Mix the ingredients well and shape them into large meatballs. Fry in a pan and serve with cooked spaghetti, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and a spicy tomato sauce. The meatballs should be large, around 50-75g each.

Tomato Sauce

2-3 onions, peeled and chopped
4-5 ripe, juicy tomatoes, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves
2-3 dl tomato juice
3-4 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp Espelette chili purée
¼ tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika powder
1 dl white wine
3-4 tbsp olive oil
Basil
Rosemary
Thyme
Salt
Black pepper

Sauté the onions, tomatoes, garlic, and tomato purée in olive oil. Add the other ingredients, except for the herbs, and simmer on low heat for 30-40 minutes. Check the flavor and add the herbs. I always serve this sauce by submerging the meatballs directly from the pan into the sauce, letting them cook in it. This way, they release flavor into the sauce.