• Remove the crust from the very old, dry, hard-as-a-rock bread and discard it. Cut into slices and then cubes -- allow bread to set until it is rock hard.
• In a large mixing bowl, soak the bread in milk and water for 30 minutes to soften the bread, before mixing it in the ground meat mixture.
• With your hands (use plastic gloves and/or clean hands), take the bread that has been soaking in the milk & water and squeeze out all of the milk and water. Place the moist bread on a plate and set aside. Discard the milk water.
• Combine the softened, moist breadcrumbs with the ground meats, prosciutto, and pancetta in a large bowl.
• Using clean hands or with plastic gloves: In a large mixing bowl, combine the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, onion & juice, Italian parsley, eggs, garlic, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Using clean hands (or wear plastic gloves), mix everything to combine thoroughly.
• Now combine the meat/breadcrumb mixture to the chese, egg, and herb mixture that you just mixed together. IMPORTANT: Use only the tips of your fingers to combine the ingredients so that you do NOT overwork the mixture, which causes the meatballs to be heavy and hard.
• Place some flour on a clean plate for dredging the meatballs.
• After combining all of the meatball ingredients, take a small amount of the mixture and roll it into 2" round ball shapes, in the flour. Use a scoop if you prefer for consistency in size, but Mamma Agata did not use a scoop.
• Roll the meatballs in the flour. Shake off any excess. Place them on a clean plate. Repeat this process until all of the meat mixture is made into meatballs.
• Place the floured meatballs onto a baking sheet pan and cover with plastic cling wrap. Refrigerate the meatballs for at least 1 hour or overnight. This allows the fat in the meats to solidify so the meatballs keep their shape when cooked.
• Fry, bake, or sear the meatballs and then bake in tomato saucer according to (separate) instructions.

Frying the Meatballs (option #1)

• Use a 3 - 4" deep frying pan about 10" wide with a handle. Cast iron is the most ideal pan to use. The older and more seasoned (through use) the pan, the better the frying results.
• Use at least 1 quart of fresh, new (never used before) peanut or vegetable oil (only, no other type of oil). Be generous with the oil! Leave 1" of oil from the top of the pan. Do not overfill the frying pan with meatballs which would impact the oil's temperature. Allow enough room in between the meatballs for them to 'move around' in the pan.
• The oil must be very hot to ahieve the best results, at least 374℉ (190℃). Before frying, test the temperature of the oil by placing a small meatball in the oil....the oil is hot and ready when the meatball floats to the top of the oil and starts to bubble. When frying, the meatballs should NOT sink to the bottom of the pan and stay there. They should immediately start to float to the top and there should be a lot of bubbling. If they don't, the oil is not hot enough and needs to heat more before frying.
• Place the cooked meatballs on a clean plate and proceed to the baking steps.

Searing the Meatballs (option #2)

• Pour peanut or vegetable oil into a large deep heavy Dutch oven pot or any ovenproof pot so that there is ¼" deep of oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, about 2 - 3 minutes.
• Working in batches, place the meatballs in a single layer in the pan and 'sear' them until they are lightly browned all over, being gentle when turning them so they don't fall apart, about 6 minutes.
• Remove the meatballs to a clean plate. Add more oil to the pan and heat it up again to almost smoking before cooking the next batch of meatballs in the same way.
• Place the cooked meatballs on a clean plate and proceed to the baking steps.

Baking the Meatballs (option #3)

• Place meatballs on a large baking sheet pan at least ½" apart.
• At 350℉, bake for 1 hour.

Baking the Meatballs in Sauce after Frying, Searing or Baking Them

• Heat the oven to 350℉
• Turn off the heat and wipe the oil from the pan, trying to keep the little browned bits in the pan if you can (there is a lot of flavor in those little bits). Return all of the meatballs to the pan.
• Add the tomato passata to the pan and cover all of the meatballs. Add as much as you need to completely cover the meatballs.
• Braise the meatballs in the oven for approximately 20 minutes (the larger you make your meatballs, the more time they will need to bake).
• Remove the meatballs from the oven and allow them to rest in the sauce for at least 10 minutes.

Passata (Tomato Sauce) for Meatballs

• Follow the recipe provided on a separate recipe card. It is the most basic and delicious marinara sauce used for every recipe requiring it.