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 chopped, fresh Italian parsley
1 extra teaspoon fresh, minced garlic
Salt & pepper
Food mill
Spaghetti Noodles
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 fresh bread crumbs (French baguette, dried in oven and crumbled)
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 med-large skillet over medium temperature and add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring often until the onions have caramelized. Turn the heat down to med-low if they are browning too much. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring continuously to prevent over-browning. Add the Marsala wine and 1 1/2 cans of the tomatoes, 42 ounces total. Make sure all the juices go in. Add the oregano, parsley, the extra teaspoon of raw garlic and lightly season with salt & pepper to taste. You will season more at the end of cooking. Cover tightly and simmer over low temperature for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mash the tomatoes as they soften. 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 disperse, and mix. Add all of the remains 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. Let rest.
Move the oven rack to the fourth position form the top and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly rub the sheet pan or baking sheet with olive oil and scoop the meat mixture and gently press, but don't compact. If you don't have a ice cream scooper, divine the meat mixture into 8 balls and gently form, but don't compress. If using the scoop, drop the large meatballs onto the baking sheet, making sure there's an inch or two in between each one. A little olive oil can be rubbed into the scoop to prevent sticking. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Don't over-bake or your meatballs could become dry. Remove from the oven and sed aside.
After the sauce has simmered 45 minutes, remove from the heat. Run the sauce through a food mill to create a saucy texture. If you don't have one, pulse it a few times in a food processor but DO NOT puree it. Sauce can also be mashed for a chunky texture.
Add the sauce back to the pan you cooked it in and arrange the meatballs inside it. Bring the sauce to a simmer over low temperature, cover tightly and cook the meatballs in it for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool some and finish with Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped Italian parsley. Serve with your favorite spaghetti noodles.
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