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15 leaves basil, torn

Extra-virgin olive oil

For the Tomato Sauce, in a food processor, purée about one third of the tomatoes.

Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until almost tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, then deglaze the pan with the red wine and add the bay leaf, basil, and water, and the puréed and whole tomatoes and all their juices. Simmer for 5 minutes, all the time breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Have the Tomato Sauce standing by on the stove in a very large pot.

For the meatballs, in a large bowl, soak the Wonder bread with milk. Squeeze most of the milk out of the bread, and transfer to another large bowl. Tear the bread into small pieces. Add the beef, pork, onion, parsley, oregano, graviera, and egg; season liberally with kosher salt and pepper. With clean hands, mix thoroughly until evenly blended. Use an ice cream scoop to form firmly packed, golf-ball-sized meatballs.

Spread a generous bed of flour on a large platter. Warm about ¼ inch of blended oil in your largest skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the meatballs in the flour, coating them evenly. Fry in batches until golden brown on all sides. As they brown, transfer the meatballs to the pot of tomato sauce, keeping the sauce at a very low simmer. Cook gently until all the meatballs are tender and very juicy, about 1 hour.

In a skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the scallions and sauté for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, olives, and Garlic Confit. Sauté for 1 minute, then add the mixture to the pot of meatballs and stir very gently, to combine. Simmer for 1 or 2 more minutes and transfer onto a platter. Scatter with the herbs and drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil.

If making the night before, follow the recipe through the cooking of the meatballs, then cool and reserve in refrigerator. Before serving, warm through in a 325°F oven, stirring only very gently so you don’t break up the meatballs. At this point, continue with the last step to complete.

LITTLE SAUSAGES

SEFTALIA

MAKES 6 SAUSAGES

These superfresh mini homemade sausages from Cyprus are terrific on a table of meze. Caul fat is traditionally used to make this sausage, but you may substitute regular sausage casing if caul fat is not available.

If your caul fat is frozen, when thawing be careful that it doesn’t pull apart into small pieces. You can freeze, or even refreeze, any leftover caul fat, which is helpful because you will probably not be able to buy a small quantity. If you plan to refreeze, try not to bring it past 45°F. The best way to defrost caul fat is to place it in salted water in the refrigerator.

2 (¼-inch-thick) slices Spanish or sweet onion

Extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

8 ounces ground beef

4 ounces ground pork

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped dill

1 scallion, green part only, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dry Greek oregano

1 tablespoon Garlic Purée (page 264, optional)

About 2 ounces pork caul fat

Lemon wedges and extra-virgin olive oil or Tsatziki (page 189), for serving

1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, mint, parsley, and/or chives

Brush the onion slices with a little oil and season with kosher salt and pepper. On a hot grill pan or in a cast-iron skillet, grill the onion until tender and slightly char-marked. Separate into rings and finely chop.

In a bowl, combine the onion, beef, pork, mustard, coriander, parsley, dill, scallion, oregano, and Garlic Purée. Season liberally with kosher salt and pepper. With clean hands, combine the mixture evenly, and form six football-shaped sausages.

Wrap each sausage in a single layer of caul fat, trimming off any extra bits and pieces. If you like, refrigerate, uncovered, for a couple of hours; this will help dry the surface and give you an even better sear on the grill.

Preheat a charcoal or gas grill, or ridged cast-iron grill pan,