Red Sauce And Meatballs
Sundays in the past always included the aroma of sauce simmering for hours on the stove. Fresh Italian bread with sauce and a meatball was a favorite snack after church.
Sauce:
¼ cup olive oil
1 small yellow onion peeled, whole
2 28oz cans of puree or crushed tomatoes (two of the same or a mix of the two)
1 6oz can tomato paste
Salt
Ground pepper
Heat olive oil in a stockpot. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and onion to oil. Cook very slowly partially covered, stirring often so mixture will not burn. Cook approximately 1 hour, adding salt and pepper to taste. Sauce should cook about 2 hours or until thick and smooth. If it appears too thick add small amount of water. After adding meatballs simmer to mix flavors. Add parsley and basil at this time.
Meatballs:
2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 eggs beaten
½ cup freshly grated Romano
¼ cup fresh minced parsley
Salt
Ground pepper
1 cup bread crumbs (mix of seasoned and unseasoned or all unseasoned)
Small amount water to moisten breadcrumbs
Combine beef, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper in large mixing bowl. Mix well. Meanwhile, soak breadcrumbs with small amount of water in small bowl. Add to beef mixture; mix well with hands. Let mixture sit short time. Form meat into golf-sized meatballs. Brown meat balls in vegetable oil, turning with fork to brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Add meatballs to red sauce and heat. Add small amount of pan-drippings from meatballs to sauce to enrich flavor.
Recipe from Giovina DellaPietra, submitted by Mark DellaPietra.