Marcella Hazan’s Meatballs and Tomatoes

Ingredients

• A slice of good-quality white bread
• ⅓ cup milk
• 1 pound ground beef, preferably chuck
• 1 tablespoon onion chopped very fine
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Whole nutmeg
• Salt
• Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
• Fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs, spread on a plate
• Vegetable oil
• 1 cup fresh, ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped up, with their juice

Instructions

1. 1
   Trim away the bread’s crust, put the milk and bread in a small saucepan, and turn on the heat to low. When the bread has soaked up all the milk, mash it to a pulp with a fork. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
2. 2
   Into a bowl put the chopped meat, onion, parsley, the egg, the tablespoon of olive oil, the grated Parmesan, a tiny grating of nutmeg — about ⅛ teaspoon — the bread and milk mush, salt, and several grindings of black pepper. Gently knead the mixture with your hands without squeezing it. When all the ingredients are evenly combined, shape it gently and without squeezing into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Roll the balls lightly in the bread crumbs.
3. 3
   Choose a sauté pan that can subsequently accommodate all the meatballs in a single layer. Pour in enough vegetable oil to come ¼ inch up the sides. Turn on the heat to medium high and when the oil is hot, slip in the meatballs. Sliding them in with a spatula will avoid splashing hot oil out of the pan. Brown the meatballs on all sides, turning them carefully so they won’t break up.
4. 4
   Remove from heat, tip the pan slightly and with a spoon, remove as much of the fat as floats to the surface. Return the pan to the burner over medium heat, add the chopped tomatoes with their juice, a pinch of salt, and turn the meatballs over once or twice to coat them well. Cover the pan and adjust the heat to cook at a quiet, but steady simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the oil floats free of the tomatoes. Taste and correct for salt and serve at once.