My Family's Italian Meatballs

This is another one of my "fun" recipes that I really "get into", like the stuffed, fried rice balls. Other than "from my Father's family" I'm not sure how well I can pinpoint the geographical origin of this recipe. His Dad's people were from the town of Gildone near Campobasso in East Central Italy, while his Mom's folks were from the tip of the boot. In any event, it's a pretty distinctive recipe using raisins, and I'll wager that you won't find it in any Italian restaurants in this country.

Additionally, I'll wager that you'll love it.

5 pounds lean (80% or better) ground beef

4 pounds lean ground pork

3 whole eggs

2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

1 cup raisins

2 Tblsp Italian Seasoning herbs

1 medium minced onion

4 cloves of garlic minced

3/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Combine (by hand) in a large mixing bowl, the ground meats. Add and combine the eggs with mixed ground meats (by hand). Combine herbs, onion, garlic and raisins with the rest (by hand). Combine the bread crumbs and grated cheese in separate bowl, and, finally, combine crumb/cheese mixture with meat mixture by hand. Form into 2-1/2 inch diameter balls by hand or with meatball press. You're going to be able to make about eighty meatballs with this recipe, so at this point you'll probably want to decide how many you want to cook fresh, and how many you want to freeze as is for later use. To cook, brown on all sides in olive oil in a large, heavy skillet. After browning, simmer in your favorite sauce for an hour or more. These meatballs are the most delicious you'll ever have. I promise! It's the raisins!

Servings: 4

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