BRICK – Meatballs with sauce. Meatballs without sauce. Swedish meatballs. Spicy meatballs. Meatballs with pink sauce. Meatballs made with a variety of ingredients and preparation methods.
These were some of the entries offered at a Meatball Competition, hosted by the American Legion Post 348 on a recent Sunday afternoon.
Now in its third year, the contest has become so popular it will become an annual event, said chair Dina Guido.
Participants, all American Legion members, were instructed to make 30-plus small meatballs in an aluminum half tray so they would fit into the chafing dish racks.
The event was open to friends, to family and to the public, who paid $10 to sample the meatballs and received two tickets to judge their favorites.
Guido, who is a teacher at Drum Point Elementary School, said she hoped for 10 entrees but got 12. The committee started advertising for chefs in December, she said.
The chefs were anonymous, including the meatballs prepared by member Ed “Stix” Hammill – who loves to cook and oftentimes lends his talents to the post – who enlisted his 14 year-old-son James to help him make over 100 meatballs.
“We used fresh basil, fresh minced garlic, veal, pork and lean beef, but our secret is a fresh mozzarella pearl in the center of each meatball,” he said. “It’s our ‘go to’ meatball recipe.”
“We baked them and then put them in the slow cooker for 10 hours, and we made our own sauce from scratch,” Hammill said. “It took us all day – it was a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon.”
Guido said each person was welcome to take two meatballs at a time, taste them, and then when everybody got through the line, they could come back and take whatever they wanted.
First, second and third place prizes were awarded. The first place winner got a Wawa gift card, an apron and a “First Place” wooden spoon.
The second place winner also got a Wawa gift card and a wooden spoon etched with “Second Place,” and the third place winner just got the “Third Place” wooden spoon, but they all got bragging rights, Guido said.
The meatballs were all different, but they were all made with a combination of beef, veal and/or pork. There had been some turkey entries in the past but not this year.
Mike’s Pizzeria of Drum Point Road, who supports many of the functions at the American Legion, donated baked ziti and Italian bread to the event that made it a full meal.
The event raised $900, which goes to veterans causes, Guido said.
“We take care of our veterans,” Guido said. “We’ve made a lot of dinners for our vets, we make holiday dinners and sometimes bring food to their houses.”
The American Legion’s biggest annual fundraisers are the Crab Tournament, held in August, and a pig roast, held in September.
The American Legion Post hosts pot luck dinners on Sundays and runs a food drive and toy drive at Christmas that they bring to Fort Dix.
