Yes – I know these are both in my cookbook. But besides the recipes, I’m going to confess something. I cheat. I cheat – it’s true. I like to save time here and there, and so I cheat. I love the marinara sauce as is when I use it for a meatball sub or when I use it for dipping an Italian Chicken Grill sandwich or a Calzone into it, but when I make pasta, I like my sauce to be a bit smoother, a bit richer. To get that I start with the marinara but I add to it. I could (and have) added tomato sauce, more spices, etc. But normally I cheat all the way and just add some Traditional Prego. My large extended family has eaten many a meal (and loved them) with my cheat pasta sauce. From Spaghetti to Lasagna to Manicotti, they have enjoyed it all, and maybe never even known my little cheat secret.
I just figured I should confess that I do Not do every little detail, every single time from scratch.
Italian Meatballs
1 pound lean Ground Beef
1/2 pound Mild Italian Sausage
1/2 pound Hot Italian Sausage
2/3 cup Bread Crumbs (or Panko crumbs)
1 Egg
1 T plus 2 tsp cool water
1/2 cup onion, diced fine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 or 2 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together very well.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Shape into meatballs to desired size. Place in a foil lined baking pan. Bake covered for 1 hour, then uncover and continue to bake for another 20 minutes. (Temperature test a center meatball – should be over 160 degrees.)
While the meatballs are still warm, remove them from the greasy juices
Another Cheat I do. I purchase plain ground pork and Italian seasoning from my local grocery store (which happens to be Hornbacher’s – they have their own blend) meat market. I then have control over how mild or hot my meatballs get. Also – in the long run it’s cheaper.
Marinara
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 cup onion, diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
4 cups fresh Roma Tomatoes, halved, cored and seeded
1 T sugar
1/4 cup fresh Basil Leaves, chopped
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes – sauté for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and sugar. Cook until tomatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and pulse with an immersion blender or a counter blender or in a food processor (leaving it a little chunky). Then add basil.
If you do not have 4 cups of fresh tomatoes, you can use a combination of fresh and canned tomatoes.
Chopping herbs is never easy – so for Basil, the best way I know how to chop it is – take all the largest leaves that you have and place them in an overlapping row on your cutting board. Pile all the smaller leaves on top of your large ones and then carefully roll up the large leaves with the smaller ones inside. (Looks like you are rolling a cigar). Now you have a nice tight round that you can chop in thin ribbons, then turn the board and chop the other way. Works great.
