Meatballs Sicilian Style.

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 6 cups dried bread, cubed and left out overnight (about 1/2 loaf)
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 lb ground veal
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1/3 lb lamb fat, ground
• 1/3 cup yellow onion, very finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Recipe

• 1 place dried bread cubes in a bowl and cover with cold water for 1 hour. drain and squeeze the water out with your hands.
• 2 place the bread into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients, except the olive oil.
• 3 mix everything together with your hands very well (my butcher grinds all the meat and lamb fat together for me at time of purchase, it definitely helps the mixing process).
• 4 grind the mixture in a food processor with the olive oil, if you have a good sized processor you should be able to do it in two batches, use half the oil each time. grind the mixture very fine it will take a few minutes; you may have to scrape the bowl down a time or two.
• 5 return all to the bowl and mix again with your hands.
• 6 form into meatballs just smaller than a golf ball. the mixture will stick to your hands so keep some cold water handy to moisten your hands when this happens.
• 7 place the meatballs on a lightly oiled pan and cooked for 25 minutes at 375°f an extra 5 - 10 minutes if you plan to eat them right away.
• 8 use these meatballs for spaghetti & meatballs. if you are using a homemade sauce place sauce and meatballs in a slow cooker for 4 hours or so. i like just throwing them in the oven topped with sauce and mozzarella cheese and cook them at 375f for 25 minutes.
• 9 i usually double up this recipe and freeze the meatballs for future meals. they turn out just as good for the next meal.