Meat-ah Balls!

Here's what I'm cooking right now for dinner. I could swear I've made this before, but maybe not -- much of it felt 'familiar', but not all. I should note that we didn't use pine nuts or currants, as I couldn't find them in the local store, and for the cheese, I just used Parmesan. What a plebe....

Sicilian Meatballs
About two hours

* Two 28-ounce cans peeled Italian tomatoes, crushed
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
* 4 slices of white sandwich bread
* 4 large eggs, beaten
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
* 1 teaspoon minced marjoram
* 2 pounds ground beef chuck
* 1/2 cup dried currants
* 1/4 cup pine nuts
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
* 1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
* 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying



1. Pour the tomatoes into a large enameled cast-iron casserole and crush them.
2. Add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Rduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a bowl, soak the bread in water until saturated.
6. Squeeze out the water and transfer the bread to a large bowl.
7. Mash the bread to a paste and stir in the eggs, garlic, parsley, marjoram, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
8. Mash until smooth.
9. Add the chuck, currants, pine nuts and cheese and mix until combined.
10. Add the bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time, and knead until the mixture is firm enough to roll.
11. Form the mixture into 36 meatballs (about 3 tablespoons each), tucking in the currants and pine nuts.
12. In a large, nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering.
13. Add the meatballs in 2 batches and fry over moderate heat, turning, until browned and cooked through, about 12 minutes per batch.
14. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meatballs to a plate.
15. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 30 minutes.
16. Serve in bowls, passing more cheese at the table.