Rocky's Meatball Recipe

My traditional recipe involved much less liquid in the mix and a lot of frying, the latter having a dubious effect on ones health, so I have worked on this recipe and must say it's on par with the original, so give it a try!  All you have to loose is the messy (and fat-laden) frying part!

Yields ~30 meatballs   Ingredients: • 1 cup tomato sauce • 1/2 cup red wine • 1/2 cup chicken broth • 1 teaspoon minced garlic • 2 lbs ground beef • 2 whole eggs • 2 teaspoons dried oregano  • 2 cups Italian bread crumbs • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds • 8 medium/large chopped fresh basil leaves • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese • 1/2 cup finely chopped onions • 1 cup finely chopped mushrooms • 3 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian (flat) parsley • Pepper to taste

To prepare:

• Preheat oven to 375F

• Mix all ingredients (I usually warm the red wine and chicken broth before adding)

• Once mixed, it should be a very moist mixture, but still capable of holding a spherical shape

• Gently form golf ball sized meatballs and place them on an ungreased non-stick baking sheet

• Bake uncovered at 375F for about 25-30 minutes until they are grayish-brown (they'll cook further in your sauce after all).  There will likely be some liquid beneath each meatball as well.

• Gently (they are still high in moisture) add the meatballs to your waiting homemade spaghetti sauce of choice and cook for an additional 1-2 hours.