MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE
Ingredients:
The holy trinity: pork, beef and veal.
The meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground veal
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 cup of whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 pieces of day old white bread
2 tbsp salt
Lots of freshly cracked pepper
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbsp chopped oregano leaves
1 tbsp red pepper chile flakes
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (for frying & mix)
The sauce:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup of red cooking wine (optional)
6 cups of tomato puree
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 fresh bay leaves
Directions:
Before the sauce, make the meatballs. In a large bowl and using your hands, tear the white bread into small pieces. Pour the milk over and mix to form a wet bread crumb. Should be soggy but not a paste.
Add the meats, cheeses, breadcrumbs, olive oil, chile flakes, herbs, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt, and eggs. Work mixture with your hands until evenly combined.
Form a golf ball-sized ball from the meat mixture. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining meat mixture.
Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil a large skillet over high. Working in batches, sear the meatballs until deep brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove the balls from pan and immediately place to the side. The meatballs will finish cooking in simmering marinara sauce until cooked through, about 1 hour.
Now using the meatball remains in the pot, make the marinara sauce. Heat 2 more tablespoons of olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium. Scrape all of the good remaining crusty bits into the middle. Add a half cup of red wine to deglaze the pan.
Add the garlic and onion and cook until translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and continue to cook until the color deepens into a dark red and raw, “tinny” taste disappears, about 5 minutes. Pour in the tomato puree, sugar, and bay leaves and season with large pinch of salt and many cracks of fresh pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.
Add your meatballs back to the sauce. Cook for at least 1 hour. Then simmer. The longer you simmer the balls, the better they will be (you can even keep in sauce overnight on the stovetop— to continue in the Dutch oven the next morning).
To serve, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain, the transfer the spaghetti to a large serving platter. Top with the meatballs and marinara sauce and garnish with parsley and grated parmesan cheese.
