Monday Meatballs

We have been having an orgy of Italian food in preparation for an upcoming trip. I hope the food in Rome meets our ever increasing expectations, that is all I can say. The A16 Food + Wine meatballs have been a real highlight--they are flavorful and have a wonderful light texture. Each bite is to be savored and enjoyed. I recommend serving them on their own, not diluting the pleasure with pasta or bread. Here is a modified recipe:

Monday Meatballs
10 ounces ground boneless pork shoulder
10 ounces ground beef chuck
6 ounces bread (stale preferred), pulsed in a food processor
2 ounces pancetta finely chopped
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
2/3 cup fresh ricotta, drained if necessary (if sitting in whey, drain overnight in cheesecloth)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup whole milk
1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes with juice
Handful of fresh basil leaves and grated cheese for finishing

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the pork, beef, bread, pancetta, parsley, 2 teaspoons salt, oregano, fennel seeds and chili flakes and mix with your hands just until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs and milk just enough to break up any large curds of ricotta. Add the ricotta mixture to the ground meat mixture and mix lightly with your hands just until incorporated. Pinch off a small piece, flatten it into a disk, and cook it in a small sauté pan. Taste and adjust the mixture’s seasoning with salt, if needed.
3. Form the mixture into 1 1/2 -inch balls, each weighing about 2 ounces, and place on the prepared baking sheets. You should have about 30 meatballs.
4. Bake, rotating the sheets once from front to back, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the meatballs are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees.
5. Sprinkle the tomatoes with the remaining salt, and then pass the tomatoes and their juices through a food mill fitted with the medium plate. Alternatively, put the entire can of tomatoes and salt in a large bowl, don an apron and squeeze the tomatoes into small pieces with your hands.
6. Pack the meatballs into 1 large roasting pan or 2 smaller roasting pans. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and braise for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until the meatballs are tender and have absorbed some of the tomato sauce.
7. Remove the pans from the oven and uncover. Distribute the basil leaves throughout the sauce.