Creative Cooking with Southern Flair!
Meatballs
San Marzano
Ingredients
San Marzano Sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped, sweet onion
½ cup grated carrot
1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
½ cup sweet marsala wine
2-28 ounce cans whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 ¼ teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley
Salt & pepper
Food mill
Spaghetti Noodles-prepared
Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
2 ounces uncooked, minced bacon-about 2 thick cut strips
1/3 cup finely chopped, sweet onion
2 teaspoons fresh, minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh Italian parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons finely chopped, fresh thyme
1 1/2 ounces (weight) finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup French style bread crumbs
Egg Mixture
1 1/2 tablespoons double concentrated tomato paste
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1 large egg
2 1/2 inch ice cream scoop
Large baking sheet or pan
Olive oil
Directions
San Marzano Sauce
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium temperature and add the onion & carrot. Stir often until the onions are translucent in color. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring continuously to prevent from over-browning. Add the Marsala wine and 1 1/2 cans of the tomatoes. Make sure all the juices go in. Add the oregano, parsley and lightly season with salt & pepper to-taste. You will season more at the end of cooking. Crush the tomatoes with a fork or lightly chop with a hand held blender, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Work on your meatballs while sauce is cooking.
Meatballs
Add the ground beef to a large mixing bowl and evenly sprinkle the minced bacon over the top. Using an extra large fork, mash the beef with the bacon to evenly incorporate and mix. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the egg mixture, and mix. Whisk the the tomato paste, chili garlic sauce and egg together in a small bowl, pour over the top and mix well using your hands.
Move the oven rack to the fourth position form the top and preheat the oven to 425F. Lightly rub the sheet pan or baking sheet with olive oil. Scoop the meat mixture and gently press but don't compact. Drop each meatball onto the sheet pan. If you don't have an ice cream scooper divide the meat mixture into 8 balls and gently form but don't compress. A little olive oil can be rubbed into the ice cream scooper to prevent sticking. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and sed aside.
After the sauce has simmered, adjust salt & pepper then remove from heat and run through a food mill. Add the sauce back to the skillet and place the meatballs inside it. Bring the sauce to a simmer over low temperature, cover tightly and cook the meatballs in it for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped Italian parsley. Serve with your favorite spaghetti noodles.
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