Needless to say, you can put these in almost any tomato sauce (pages 606–607) and use them for spaghetti and meatballs. But they’re often served in Italy as a small first course, sometimes over cabbage. I like the combination of veal and pork best, but you can use any combination you like or even all beef.

　　

Ingredients

makes 8 servings as a starter, 4 servings with pasta as a main course

　　1/2 pound each ground veal and pork or any combination of ground meats

　　1 egg

　　1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

　　1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

　　1/4 cup minced onion

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

　　Flour for dredging

　　

Step 1

Combine the meat in a bowl with the egg, cheese, parsley, onion, and salt and pepper. Mix well but do not knead. Form into balls of any size you like; tiny (1/2-inch diameter) ones are kind of nice but take longer to form.

　　

Step 2

Put the oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium. One by one, dredge the meatballs in the flour and add them to the oil. Cook, turning as necessary, until nicely browned all over, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.