Grandmother’s Italian Meatballs

This is both my mother and mother-in-laws recipe for their italian meatballs. The only difference between the two is one uses fresh Parsley and the other Basil!

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley OR the other Grandmother....
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh Basil
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 cups stale Italian bread, crumbled
1/2 cup milk
1 cup olive oil

Directions

Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.

Combine the bread and milk in a small bowl, mashing with a fork, until a smooth paste forms. Add into meat mixture.

Shape into meatballs, using about 3 TBS of meat.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a frying pan. Cook meatballs in a single layer in batches. When the meatballs are very brown and slightly crisp remove from the heat and drain on a paper towel.

*For a healthier preparation, cook them on a large sheet pan on 400 degrees, turning them occasionally to brown on all sides. Also, some meatball experts claim the best method is to drop them uncooked in their "Sunday sauce" or "Gravy". It's supposed to make the gravy all the more flavorful!