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Meatballs and sauce
The meatballs are based on this Cook’s Illustrated recipe with a few modifications, but the sauce is all mine. The addition of fennel seeds evokes the flavor that Italian sausage brings if you were to add it.
Ingredients
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Meatballs:
2 slices white sandwich bread (crusts discarded), torn into small cubes
6 tablespoons plain yogurt thinned with 2 tablespoons milk
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 large egg yolk
1 small clove garlic , minced (1 teaspoon)
3/4 teaspoon table salt
Ground black pepper
vegetable oil for pan-frying (about 1 1/4 cups)
Sauce:
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp tomato paste
2 28-oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
1-1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 cup red wine
Directions:
Combine the bread and yogurt, mixing and mashing it until it forms a smooth paste. Let sit for 10 minutes. Add to the ground beef along with the cheese, parsley, egg yolk, garlic, salt, and pepper. Combine with a fork until smooth, but don’t overwork the meat or it will become tough. Form into 1-1/2 inch balls (a scooper is useful for this task) and set aside. You should get at least 14 meatballs. (The plate can be loosely covered with plastic wrap and stored in the fridge for several hours.)
If you have an electric skillet, set it to 350 degrees, or set a large skillet to medium-high. Add several tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. When you just begin to see light wisps of smoke, add the meatballs. Cook on each side until browned. Make sure to brown all sides. It is not necessary to cook completely through at this point if you are going to finish them in the sauce. Set aside on a paper-towel covered plate. Repeat if necessary.
Set a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat, add several tablespoons of olive oil and then add the onion and garlic when the oil is hot. Saute the onion and garlic for several minutes until translucent but not browned. Clear the ingredients to the sides of the pot and add the paste. Increase the heat to medium high and stir the paste until it starts to caramelize or lightly brown. Mix with onion and garlic and then add the canned tomatoes. Use no more than a half can of water to rinse them out into the pot and bring to a simmer. Add the dried spices and sugar and 1 tsp of salt. Add fresh ground pepper and more salt, to taste. Pour in the wine and let it come to a slight boil.
Lower heat to medium low or low to simmer. Nestle the meatballs in the sauce and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes, but up to several hours. If you are going to simmer for hours, wait to add the meatballs until there’s no more than 1 hour left. Also watch to be sure the sauce doesn’t get too thick. Add water to thin it out if necessary.
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