Mozarella Stuffed Meatballs

Ingredients

2 slices of stale white bread, crusts removed

1 cup milk

1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 pound of ground beef and pork, equal amounts

2 fresh eggs

2 ounces pecorino, grated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 block of mozzarella, chopped into quarter to half-inch cubes

Unseasoned bread crumbs

Olive oil (not extra virgin) for frying

Tomato sauce:

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

3 (12-ounce) cans peeled tomatoes

1 fresh basil leaf

Directions

Put the bread in a small mixing bowl, cover with milk, and leave to soak.

Pour enough oil into a saucepan to cover the surface. Turn to medium heat. Add garlic and 3 cans of tomatoes, mashing them slightly. Boil the sauce for 5 minutes and simmer for another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover.

Chop the parsley and garlic together. Put the meat into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze the milk out of the bread and add it to the meat. 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. Shape meatballs by hand, make a hole in the top, and insert a small piece of mozzarella. Cover it up and pat the meatball into shape. Roll them in bread crumbs. 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. Then turn over. When golden brown and crusty on both sides, remove the meatballs from the pan and drain them on paper towels.

Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce along with the basil leaf, cover, and cook very slowly on low heat for 45 minutes, until the sauce is reduced by half.