Grandma Tess's Meatballs

When we make sauce, we make meatballs. Yes - it is quite a production but so well worth the effort. This recipe comes from Grandma Tess and it is our favorite meatball recipe:

Grandma Tess’s Meatballs

2-3 dried Italian rolls, soaked in a bowl of water
½ cup chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
2 lbs. lean ground beef – room temperature
1 lb. lean ground pork – room temperature
1 lb. lean ground veal – room temperature
1 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
1 T. salt
3 eggs
3 - 5 tsp. minced garlic
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3-5 basil leaves - chopped

Preheat oven to 475.

Squeeze water out of the bread. Mix all ingredients. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 – 60 minutes. Roll meatballs. Bake on bottom shelf for 10 – 15 minutes. Finish cooking meatballs in your sauce for at least 1 hour.

Notes:

I have found it best to cook the meatballs on a greased rack in a large lasagna pan. I tend to use at least 6-8 cloves of garlic and 8-10 basil leaves. Watch the meatballs closely, as they are cooking so not to over brown or burn.

Add the pan juices from the cooked meatballs to your sauce. Finishing the meatballs in the sauce keeps them very moist and adds flavor to both the sauce and the meatballs.

They freeze well out of the sauce - just make sure they are wrapped tightly.