Get ready to eat like a real housewife! Franco Porporino Jr., the owner of Fresco Da Franco, has shared the recipe with Us Weekly for the restaurant’s Mamma Giuseppina Famous Meatballs.
The eatery, which is located in Montclair, New Jersey, has been featured on The Real Housewives of New Jersey and its stars are known to frequent the establishment. “All [the RHONJ Housewives] come to my place!” he told Us. “They all have.”
The restauranteur and up-and-coming producer told Us that not only have the reality stars visited Fresco but they also tasted the Mamma Giuseppina meatballs during a recent episode of the show. Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Dolores Catania, Siggy Flicker, Margaret Josephs and Danielle Staub met up for a meal at his restaurant during the Wednesday, November 29, episode of the Bravo reality series.
During their conversation about Kim D. saying that Teresa had cheated on her husband, Joe Guidice, Siggy confessed that she and Dolores were walking in Kim’s fashion show. That’s when Teresa chucked a glass full of wine against the wall. In regards to whether she can return to the restaurant after the incident, Porporino — who is currently developing multiple TV shows — tells Us: “Yes, she can.”
Gorga, whose family’s New Jersey restaurant, Gorga’s Homemade Pasta & Pizza, is closing less than one year after it opened, also visited the restaurant this past weekend. To make your own homemade meatballs, follow Fresco’s recipe below.
Fresco Da Franco’s Mamma Giuseppina Famous Meatballs Recipe
Serves 12
1 3/4 pound of ground beef
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup of minced onions
6 peeled garlic cloves minced
1 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup of fresh chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup of fresh tomato sauce
salt and pepper
1. In a skillet pan, coat the pan with olive oil and sweat the onion and garlic to golden brown.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, mozzarella, parsley, tomato sauce, garlic, onions and salt and pepper.
3. Mixed and knead with your hands until all ingredients are incorporated evenly.
4. When completed, take an ice cream scooper and roll 4 ounce balls and place on a sheet pan. Be sure to use nonstick spray on the sheet pan so that the meatballs don’t stick.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and then remove.
6. Serve in a bowl with a dollop of fresh ricotta and sweet marinara sauce, and add a nice basil leaf for garnish.
