Polpette Napolitane

From Baronessa Cecilia Belelli, via Tyler Florence

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2  slices  day-old white bread, crusts removed
• 1  cup milk
• 1  bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1  garlic clove, finely chopped
• 4 1⁄2 ounces minced beef
• 4 1⁄2 ounces  ground lean pork
• 2  eggs
• 2  ounces pecorino romano cheese, grated
•  salt
•  fresh ground black pepper
• 8  ounces buffalo mozzarella, drained and chopped into little pieces
• 1  cup  unseasoned breadcrumbs
• 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1  garlic clove
• 3 (12 ounce) cans  peeled cherry tomatoes

Directions

1. Put the bread in a small mixing bowl, cover with milk, and leave to soak.
2. Chop the parsley and garlic together. Put meat into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze the milk out of the bread and add bread to meat. (Throw the milk away.) Add parsley and garlic. Use your hands to mix the ingredients. Break eggs into the mixture to bind it. Keep mixing. Add the pecorino. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Shape meatballs by hand, make a hole in the top and insert a small piece of mozzarella. Cover it up and pat meatball into shape. Roll meatballs in bread crumbs.
4. Pour olive oil into a frying pan and when it's really hot, fry the meatballs for 5 minutes, or until they have formed a crust on all sides. When golden brown and crusty, remove the meatballs from the pan and drain on paper towels.
5. Pour enough oil into a saucepan to cover the surface. Add 1 whole clove of garlic and 3 tins of tomatoes, mashing them slightly. Boil the sauce for 5 minutes and simmer for another 3 minutes.
6. Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce, cover and cook very slowly on low heat for 45 minutes, until the sauce is reduced by half.