Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Frankies Spuntino Meatballs
adapted from Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual

Ingredients

• 4 thick slices Italian bread, crusts removed
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground veal
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus extra for serving
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoons ground white pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
• 2 quarts Frankies’ Spuntino (and Nonna’s) Tomato Sauce (recipe coming soon) or your favorite marinara sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Put bread in a large bowl, and cover it with about 1 cup water. Let it soak for a minute and then drain.the water. Squeeze the excess water out of the bread and tear it into tiny pieces. Put the bread back into the empty bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients, in the order listed, except the tomato sauce. The mixture should be moist, but not too wet. If it is too wet, add a little more breadcrumbs.
3. Shape meat mixture into handball-sized meatballs and space them evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until cooked through. The meatballs should be firm and juicy. At this point, you can cool meatballs and store them in the fridge for a day or two, until you’re ready to use them. They can also be frozen in an airtight container.
4. While meatballs are baking, heat the tomato sauce to a gentle simmer in large, wide, deep skillet or braising pan.
5. Plunk the meatballs into the pan of sauce and simmer for a half an hour so they can soak up some sauce. Keep them there until it’s time to eat.

Makes 18-20 meatballs.