Marinara Sauce and Meatballs

This is my favorite recipe for Meatball Sandwiches, the recipe for which, follows.


Preparation time is about 10 to 15 minutes and cooking time is exactly 30 minutes.


Ingredients


* 1 Tbs. olive oil, extra virgin
* 8 ozs. onions, chopped
* 2 whole garlic cloves, minced
* 8 oz. tomato sauce, canned
* 6 ozs. tomato paste, canned
* 14 1/2 ozs. chicken stock, canned
* 1/2 tsp. sugar
* 1 whole bay leaf
* 1 tsp. basil leaf, dried, hand crushed
* 2 tbs. parsley, chopped
* 1/2 c. bell pepper, red, roasted, diced (optional)
* 4 ozs. mushrooms, button, wiped clean (optional)
* 1 tbs. chicken boullion powder (optional)
* 16 fl. ozs. water (optional)
* 1 tbs. onion powder (optional)
* 1 tsp. garlic powder (optional)
* 1 tbs. italian seasoning (optional)
* 1/2 tsp. chile flakes (optional)
* 1 whole lemon, juiced (optional but highly recommended)


Instructions


Chop the onions and mince the garlic and parsley, keep each in it's own bowl.


Heat the oil in a sauce pan, lightly caramelize the onions and garlic. Add the chicken stock or 16 ozs. of water and a heaping tablespoon of chicken boullion powder. Bring to a boil, and lower to a simmer. Add the remaining ingredients and return to a simmer. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add the optional ingredients if using them. Remove lid, reduce for another 15 to 20 minutes to thicken.


The above can be easily doubled




Meatballs for the above


Ingredients


* 6 lbs. beef, ground
* 2 c. breadcrumbs
* 1 c. romano cheese -- grated
* 1/2 c. parsley -- chopped
* 5 cloves garlic -- minced
* 5 whole eggs
* 1/2 c. chicken stock
* 2 tsp. black pepper
* 2 tsp. salt
* 3/4 c. onions -- finely chopped (optional)


Instructions


Remove meat 20 minutes before working it into meatballs.
In a mixing bowl mix the breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley, black pepper and salt. Next, add the eggs and stock. Mix thoroughly. Into another larger bowl, break the meat up into bits. With wet hands, mix the flavoring mixture into the meat, keeping the hands wet to prevent the meat from smearing the fat.


Grease a casserole (better still: a hotel pan) and put the meatballs on it as the 50 to 60 are made. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the pan in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes until the bottoms of the meatballs brown. Turn them over, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake 25 to 35 minutes until they are fully browned. Remove from the oven, drain all the fat, add a tablespoon of the sauce over each meatball and cover with aluminum foil, and return to the oven for 30 minutes.


I always end up having to run more than one batch through the oven and the work always takes 4 to 5 hours. I promise you, if you love meatballs & spaghetti, this is worth the effort.


Optional: minced onions
Optional in sauce for sandwiches: sautéed mushrooms, bell pepper strips, Italian sausage bites.




From:
Daily News (a newspaper)
Food Section
4/15/98