Eggs – cheese – balls

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 120 g white bread, stale
• ½ bunch parsley
• 4 eggs
• 400 g cheese, Parmigiano Reggiono, Grana Padano or Pecorino, freshly grated
• salt and pepper
• 1 carrot(s)
• 2 stalk(s) Celery
• 1 small onion(s)
• 800 g tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp tomato paste

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 4 hours; Total time approx. 4 hours 30 minutes

Remove the crust from the white bread and soak it in water for about 10 minutes. Squeeze it well and tear it very finely. Wash and finely chop 2-3 parsley sprigs. Knead the bread, parsley, eggs, and cheese into a well-knit dough, season with pepper and, if desired, a little salt, and refrigerate for about 4 hours. For the tomato sauce, peel and finely dice the carrot. Wash and trim the celery, and finely dice it. Peel and finely chop the onion. Blanch the tomatoes, peel them, and finely dice them. Sauté the carrots, celery, and onion in 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and sauté uncovered over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, use your hands to form oval, plum-sized balls from the cheese mixture. Heat the olive oil in a wide pan for deep frying. Brown the balls in batches until well browned all over, remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on kitchen paper. Blend the tomato sauce thoroughly with a hand blender. Stir in the tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Add the balls to the tomato sauce and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Wash the remaining parsley and finely chop the leaves. Sprinkle the parsley over the cheese balls.