Meatballs and Tomato Sauce
/I was asked to share my recipe for meatballs and sauce, or more properly called gravy. (However, chefs and cooks alike should gasp at the mere thought that this would be called a recipe.)
Tomato Gravy (Tomato Sauce for non-Italians)
Two 28 ounce cans of whole tomatoes or diced. (I use Muir Glenn brand see link below)
One 6 ounce can of tomato paste.
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
12 fresh basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning
1 Tablespoon of aged balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of sugar (Optional - I use three drops of liquid stevia) My wife doesn't' like this step.
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a tall sided bowl. Use an immersion blender and thoroughly blend all the ingredients. Blend until smooth. Taste to see if it is right for your palate .
Place is a 6-8 quart pot. Simmer for as many hours as you have available. You can place the meatballs in the gravy (Tomato Sauce for non-Italians).
The tomato gravy or sauce
Meatballs:
1.5 pounds of ground chuck
1 lb of ground veal
1 lb of ground sausage (Italian)
1.5 cups of ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons of Kosher Salt
3 tablespoons of parsley flakes
1 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
2 tablespoons of dried italian seasoning
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º
Take the three meats and gently but thoroughly mix the meat with your hands in a large mixing bowl. You don't want to overwork the meat.
Add the ricotta mix in with a spoon.
Now add the dry ingredients and mix again, thoroughly. Don't overwork meat
Now take 3-4 ounces of meat and gently form into the balls. You want loosely formed balls. Arrange them on the cookie sheet as pictured. Bake for 40 minutes. They will render a lot of fat. Be careful removing the cookie sheet.
Meatballs rolled and ready for baking
After baking before sauce is added I sprinkled parmesan cheese
Covered with sauce and sprinkled with more cheese
Leftovers
This posting is mainly for Jaimie Dillon (an Italian girl who asked an Irishman how to make sauce - somewhere a leprechaun is smiling and a pope is blushing.)