Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 300 g Ground beef
• 200 g Ground pork
• 100 g Stale bread
• 120 ml Milk
• 2 Egg
• 60 g Parmesan
• 3 tbsp Parsley
• 2 clove Garlic
• 700 g Tomato passata
• 3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 leaf Basil
• 1 tsp Salt
• 0.5 tsp Black pepper

Steps

1. Soak the stale bread, crusts removed, in the milk for about ten minutes until fully softened.
2. Squeeze out the excess milk with your hands and crumble the bread into a large bowl.
3. Add the ground beef and ground pork, the eggs, grated Parmesan, finely chopped parsley, the minced garlic clove, a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Knead everything together by hand for several minutes until the mixture is even and compact.
5. With damp hands, shape the mixture into meatballs about the size of a walnut, rolling each between your palms so the surface is smooth and they hold together well.
6. In a wide pot heat the extra virgin olive oil and brown the whole garlic clove, then discard it.
7. Pour in the tomato passata, add the basil leaves and a pinch of salt.
8. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat.
9. Slip the meatballs into the simmering sauce one at a time, cover with a lid, and cook over low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes, turning them gently halfway through so they cook evenly without breaking.
10. Turn off the heat and let the meatballs rest a few minutes in the sauce.
11. Serve them hot, napped with plenty of sauce and a few fresh basil leaves.

Tips

• Do not brown the meatballs first: cooking them directly in the sauce keeps them remarkably soft and lets them release flavor into the tomato.
• Reserve the rich sauce to dress a plate of pasta as a first course, then serve the meatballs as the second — the classic Neapolitan Sunday meal.