Tomato sauce! Meatballs! Eat them up yum!

Okay, I know it's been a loooong time.

This week I promised the family that I'd make spaghetti and meatballs.  I once ran out of time for dinner preparation and I had to go with what I had in the pantry.  I found a can of pasta sauce and put that on some pasta with parmesan.  The kids ate it.  Scott took a bite and told me he thought the sauce had gone bad.  I explained it was just opened.  He put his bowl aside and said I'd spoiled him by making my own.

So, now I make my own.  It's one of the five mother sauces so I'd better know how to make the damn stuff.

Here we go:

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 big can of crushed tomatoes
1 big can of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
crushed garlic to taste
salt
pepper
bay leaf
dried thyme
1 garlic clove, whole and peeled

Equipment:
a pot
a tea ball (don't worry I'll explain)

First, get your veg into the pot over medium high heat and get 'em sweaty.  You're not looking for brown, just letting some moisture go.  Add in your tablespoon of tomato paste.  You're going to let that cook until it turns a red-orange-golden color and smells more sweet than acidic.  This is called making a rust.  Once you've reached this stage, add in your tomato products.  You can also use whole tomatoes you've crushed up yourself, toss in some red wine, use crushed tomatoes and chicken broth or veggie broth (for a vegan option).

Now we're going to make a sachet  (pronounced sashay).  Traditionally, this is tied up in cheesecloth, but since I didn't have any on hand, I used a tea ball.  I like this method.  Put the bay leaf, a few springs of dried thyme, the garlic clove and if you have some peppercorns, toss those in too.  Close it up and drop it into the sauce. 

Bring everything up to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer until you like the consistency.  I made this sauce thin, as is the children's preference.  Once it's cooked down, you can puree it in a food processor and get the veggies ground up, this will make the sauce thicker.  Since my kids won't eat anything that even vaguely resembles a vegetable in their pasta sauce, I simply strain the veg out and serve it up.

On to meatballs!

Ingredients:

2.5 pounds of ground beef
1 cup of bread crumbs
1 cup of milk
onion powder
crushed garlic to taste
1 egg
salt/pepper (of course)

Equipment:

bowl
roasting/broiling pan

First, we're going to make a panade.  (pan-ODD)

Combine the bread crumbs with the dry ingredients.  I use onion powder because I really like the onion flavor but my kids will complain if they find an onion.

Now pour in the milk until you have a thick paste, it should look kinda gross. 

Dump all the ingredients into a bowl and mush it around with your hands.  Parmesan can also go in, which is yummy, but I didn't have enough cheese for both meatball  additive and pasta topping.

Once it's well combined, start to make balls.  

I like to use a roasting/broiler pan because the slits let the grease drip away but are narrow enough to support the meat.  Stick 'em in the oven at 350 for ten minutes to start.  If you make little, tiny meatballs start with five. Cut into one to make sure they are cooked all the way through, you don't want them undercooked and holding onto some icky bacteria that will make you sick.  

Take 'em out.  Let 'em cool.  Om nom nom. 


Remember:  Life is difficult.  Cooking helps.