Meatballs and Pasta

Before I give you the recipe for meatballs the way my mom makes them, I'd like to talk a little about what I serve on my meatballs. I've lived in Southern New Jersey (also dubbed South Jersey) for almost my whole life. In 2004, I moved to Monmouth County to go to college and found out that no one else in the state calls what they top their meatballs with "gravy". I was shocked - calling that tomato-ey goodness sauce never even crossed my mind. So now that I have friends from North Jersey, I seem to fight an unending battle with them over this topic. Is it sauce or gravy?? To me, it will always be gravy!

Meatballs

**Disclaimer**: As with all good recipes handed down, I don't really have a lot of exact measurements, so I'll try my best to quantify all of the ingredients appropriately.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (I use 93% lean)
1 small onion, diced
pinch of:

garlic powder
red pepper flakes
black pepper
onion powder
Italian seasoning

1 slice of bread (I usually use Arnold brand Health Nut, but any type will work)
1 egg
1 tablespoon parmigiano reggiano cheese



Directions:
Add all ingredients to a large bowl except bread. Take the slice of bread and wet it, then tear it into pieces and add it to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix all ingredients well, making sure there aren't any large pieces of bread clumped together in the bowl anywhere (using your hands is definitely recommended!!). Form into balls (I usually make mine about the size of a quarter) and fry in olive oil on the stove. Serve with pasta and homemade gravy.