Sicilian Meatballs

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 6 slices bread, torn into pieces
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 (28 ounce) can san marzano tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can san marzano tomatoes
• salt
• pepper
• 2 1/2 lbs ground sirloin
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (a generous handful)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted and chopped
• 1/4 cup currants
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 loaf ciabatta
• 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaf, shredded

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 425°.
• 2 place the torn bread in a small bowl and pour the milk over it; set aside to soak.
• 3 place a roasting pan on the counter; add a healthy drizzle of oil, about 1 tablespoon.
• 4 add the canned tomatoes to the pan and crush with a potato masher or a wooden spoon.
• 5 season the tomatoes liberally with salt and pepper.
• 6 in a large bowl, using your hands, combine the ground sirloin, the remaining tablespoon oil, the garlic, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, allspice, parmigiano-reggiano, pine nuts, currants, egg, and salt and pepper.
• 7 squeeze out the excess milk from the soaking bread (it should be loose and in small pieces), then add it to the meat mixture; discard the milk.
• 8 form the meatball mixture into 12 baseball-size balls, each about 3 inches in diameter, and place them in the roasting pan, nestling them into the tomatoes.
• 9 roast until the meatballs are brown and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• 10 place the ciabatta, unwrapped, in the oven to heat when the meatballs are just about done.
• 11 tear the warm, crusty bread into large pieces.
• 12 remove the meatballs from the oven and arrange the torn pieces of bread in and around the meatballs and sauce.
• 13 stir the ricotta cheese together with the basil, season with salt and pepper, and pass at the table.
• 14 complement each serving of 2 large meatballs with 2-3 tablespoons of cool ricotta spooned along side.