Step 1: Make the Panade
Place the torn bread pieces in a small bowl and pour the milk over them. Allow the bread to absorb the milk for 5 minutes, turning occasionally. After soaking, the bread should be completely saturated and very soft. Using clean hands or the back of a fork, squeeze out any excess milk from the bread until you have a moist but not dripping paste. This panade is the foundation of the texture — do not rush it and do not skip the soaking step.
Step 2: Mix the Meatball Mixture
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and ground pork. Add the squeezed bread panade, egg yolks, freshly grated Parmesan, minced garlic, chopped parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Using clean hands, mix everything together with a gentle folding and turning motion until all the ingredients are just combined and evenly distributed. The mixture should feel cohesive and moist but not overly wet. As emphasized above, resist the urge to squeeze or compact the mixture — gentle handling is essential for tender meatballs.
Step 3: Form the Meatballs
Wet your hands lightly with cold water — this prevents the mixture from sticking and helps the surface of each meatball roll smoothly. Scoop approximately 2 tablespoons of meat mixture for each meatball and roll lightly between your palms until roughly spherical. They do not need to be perfect — slightly irregular meatballs actually hold the sauce better and look more authentically homemade. Place the formed meatballs on a clean plate or baking sheet as you work. This recipe produces approximately 16 to 20 meatballs, depending on size.
Step 4: Start the Tomato Sauce
In a large, wide pot or Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes until completely softened, translucent, and beginning to turn a very pale golden color at the edges. Add the minced garlic and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant — do not allow the garlic to brown. Add the crushed tomatoes, dried oregano, dried basil, red pepper flakes if using, and sugar. Stir to combine, season with salt and pepper, and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Allow it to simmer while you brown the meatballs.
Step 5: Brown the Meatballs
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Working in batches — do not crowd the pan, as this causes steaming rather than browning — add the meatballs and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until a deep golden-brown crust forms on the exterior. They will not be cooked all the way through at this stage, which is intentional — they will finish cooking in the sauce. After browning each batch, transfer the meatballs to a plate and continue with the remaining ones, adding a small amount of additional oil if needed between batches.
