Polpettine alla Fiorentina

(Florentine Meatballs)

Serves 6, 60 minutes

Ingredients
Florentine Tomato Sauce
3 slices leftover white bread, minus crust
2 c tap water, at room temperature
2 lb lean ground beef
8 oz cooked ham (or mortadella)
2 fresh eggs
Bunch fresh Italian flat parsley
2 cloves garlic
¾ c grated Parmesan cheese
Salt
Fresh black pepper

Preparation
Prepare your Classic Florentine Tomato Sauce in advance, and set aside. Then place the
bread to soak in the water for several minutes.
Finely chop the garlic and parsley. In a large bowl, combine the beef and cooked ham, which
has been finely chopped, garlic, parsley, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper.
Remove the bread from the water, squeeze it to remove all the moisture, then add it to the
mixture. Thoroughly clean and dry your hands, then manually combine the mixture and form
it into golf ball sized balls.
Place the meatballs into the pot containing the sauce, cook for forty minutes, periodically
stirring, and serve.