Italian Meatballs

I know several people who can jump into the kitchen and whip together a batch of meatballs in their sleep- no recipe, no problem. I, on the other hand, need the recipe, a tutorial, pictures, yada yada... I know there's an egg, meat, and breadcrumbs maybe? How big should they be? How long should I cook them?

Alice Waters to the rescue again! I love the way she writes a recipe- absolutely foolproof. This recipe rocks my world and produces gorgeous specimens that rival the best (sans Mrs. St.P's).

Italian Meatballs
From: The Art of Simple Food
Season:
1 pound ground beef
3/4 pound ground pork shoulder*
with:
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
In a small bowl combine:
1 cup torn-up pieces of torn up, day old bread, crusts removed
1/2 cup milk
Set aside to soften. Grate, using the large holed side of a box grater:
1 small onion, peeled
This will make a sort of rough puree that will add moisture and flavor to the meatballs. Squeeze most of the milk out of the bread and put the bread in a large mixing bowl with the seasoned meat and the grated onion. Add:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
A pinch of cayenne pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt
Fresh- ground black pepper
Combine the ingredients with your hands, gently but thoroughly. Overworking the mixture makes the meatballs tough. The mixture will be soft. Gently form the mixture into meatballs, either with your hands or a small ice cream scoop. If you make them Alice's size she recommends the size of ping pong balls and cook for about 6 minutes. I like them a bit bigger and cook them from 15- 20 minutes (I get about a dozen out of this recipe). Bake them on a rimmed baking sheet in a 450 degree oven**, or alternately in a frying pan on the stove top.

*If you don't have pork shoulder, alternately use 1 pound of meatball mix (ground veal, pork, and beef)
**I also add in a large can of whole tomatoes (and their juice), a couple fresh sprigs of rosemary, and 3 whole garlic cloves (peeled) over the balls before they go into the oven. It can sometimes save me from making a sauce, and helps impart a little extra flavor.