The Most Moist and Delicious Meatballs, Ever

Making perfect meatballs is no less than a 5-step process, in my book. First, you need some serious motivation. Like unwavering love for a small child who is screaming for MEATBALLS PLEASE, all weekend. Then, you need to make your sauce, the vehicle in which your meatballs will simmer to tender perfection. Next, you must make the 12-ingredient meatball mixture; form the balls by hand individually; and finally, cook them. Because these are so absurdly time-consuming and delicious, all at once, I make them only rarely but I always prepare enough to freeze a separate meal, or two, at the same time. So it's very worthwhile.
To get started, prepare a basic tomato sauce. We simply sautee onions and garlic in a little olive oil, in a wide, shallow sauce pan. Then we add a splash of wine, 4 cups of peeled tomatoes, fresh thyme, rosemary and bay leaf, and just let that simmer for about an hour or so, while we prepare The Most Moist And Delicious Meatballs, Ever (trademark pending).
To make these tender, juicy meatballs start by combining the following 12 ingredients in a large bowl, and mix thoroughly by hand to incorporate all the flavors properly. (This is enough to feed a family of 4 twice, by the way, so you can enjoy half right away, and save the other half for another, more relaxing evening. I almost like the anticipation of this as much as the meal, frankly.):

Meatball mixture:
1.5 pounds ground pork
1 pound ground veal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, stalks removed, chopped very finely
4 large cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 large onion very finely chopped
1 hand-full of fresh parsley finely chopped
1-2 sprigs of fresh basil finely chopped
2 slices of white sandwich bread, crust removed, soaked in 1/2 cup of milk and then crumbled up
1/2 cup Parmigiano cheese finely chopped

Next, you need to roll and shape the meatballs. Kids can help with this, and I remember helping my grandmother often, but my kid doesn't like the way the raw meat feels in her hands. I don't really blame her, (but I also think she just prefers to re-enact entire Broadway musicals instead); so I make them on my own. You can roll these as large or small as you wish. I go for medium, these days, but when our daughter was a toddler, I made them really tiny. Perfect, delectable finger food. Before you know it, you've ingested a mountain of them and you're ready for a nap.

By the time you've done all this, your tomato sauce should be good and ready. (NB: Hopefully, you've remembered to stir this a few times in between rolling meatballs, sipping wine, applauding child, stumbling on puppy, answering the phone, and the door bell, cursing at husband who is off fishing, and whatever else it is you do) .
Now, place the meatballs, without crowding them, into the sauce pan, and cover and let simmer gently for a few minutes WITHOUT TOUCHING THEM. (For tiny balls, just 2-3 minutes, for medium about 5.) Then, flip them, one at at time, with a slotted spoon, and let them simmer for an equal amount of time on the other side, to cook through completely, covering the pan half-way with a lid. Do not overcook these, but do take your time to in flipping them, or all your hard work will go to waste. Here is how these two steps will look.

Cook bottom of meatballs in sauce. Then gently flip and cook top of meatballs for a few minutes more.

Now you're done. Serve these juicy meatballs with your favorite (or kid's favorite) pasta, extra grated cheese, and fresh, torn basil leaves to garnish. (The basil is Lina's favorite part, in case you were wondering. After all that effort. She grows it herself and would eat a whole bowl-full for dinner, nothing more, if I let her.) I hope you enjoy this perfect family Sunday supper!