Heat the 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook this until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes, and then set it aside to cool.

In a large bowl, add the veal, dill, parsley, nutmeg, salt, pepper, cheese, egg, and bread crumbs. Add the cooled onion and garlic mixture now. Wash your hands well. Then, mix this puppy up with your hands (it’s the only way) and don’t be afraid to handle the meat too much. Just get it all mixed together very well.

Have a glass of cold water next to you for you to keep your hands moist as you roll the balls. Take about a 1/4 cup of the meat mixture and shape it into a ball. Repeat until you have roughly 15 to 18 balls of fairly equal size.

In a large skillet, heat about 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. When it’s ready, a drop of water will sizzle and pop; don’t put in the meatballs until this happens.

Dredge each meatball in the flour and shake off the excess. Put half of the meatballs in the hot oil in a single layer, and cook these guys until they’re quite brown on every side. Use a fork and tongs or some combination like it to move the balls around in the oil.

Shake off any excess oil (or drain them on paper towels) and put them directly into the simmering sauce. Once they’re all in the sauce, cook them for about 30 minutes long, and they’re ready to go.

To serve, remove the balls to a separate bowl and pass them around the table with a serving spoon.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onions and cook them for a few minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic. Cook the onions and the garlic slowly for 20 minutes or so until the onion is golden brown (note: This is KEY! Browning the onions is where a lot of the flavor comes from, so don’t rush it).

Once they’re golden, raise the heat to be medium-high again and add the wine. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan if there are any.

Add the tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper and get it boiling.

Reduce the heat and let it simmer, partly covered, for 30 minutes. Stir it once in a while. Add the meatballs and cook for another thirty minutes or longer until the pasta is ready. If the sauce gets too thick, add some water to it.

Make whatever pasta you want according to the package instructions, drain, and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add about a ladle or two of the sauce and mix it well into the pasta. It coats the pasta.

Fill a bowl with pasta, top with a ladle of sauce, and pass the Parmigiano and the meatballs. Serve it with some good Italian or French bread, and end it all with a light salad. Everyone’s happy.