Italian Wedding Soup - Meatballs and Croutons

Meatballs: 1 pound pork, ground 1 pound veal, ground 1 pound beef, ground 1 cup Italian, seasoned bread crumbs 2+ cups Locatelli (or Pecorino/Romano) cheese, grated—use one cup for the meatball mix and one+ cups for the table as a garnish, at service. 2 large cloves garlic, finely minced 1 Cippolini onion, minced 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced 3 extra large eggs Italian or gray sea salt and pepper

ingredients

Croutons:
1 loaf Ciabatta or Tuscan bread, dice-sized cubes
3 eggs
1 pint+ of milk or heavy cream
Garlic powder
Italian or gray sea salt & pepper
Olive oil

directions

Heat skillet for a couple of minutes then fill skillet with about an inch of olive oil and heat to just slightly smoking over medium heat. Except for the bread cubes, whisk all ingredients thoroughly in a big bowl, then add just enough cubed bread to fry one batch at a time until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels until all are fried and set aside. Add salt while hot. If prepared ahead, store in airtight container in refrigerator/freezer until ready to serve. Just before serving, preheat oven on high and then turn off. Put croutons on a tray or cookie sheet in oven and let sit until ready to serve in a bowl on the table so guests can serve themselves. Don’t put in soup until serving time.