Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Rita Hanson (story on page 30) writes, “In response to my request for this recipe when I was in college, my mother originally hand-wrote the directions on the back of a letter she wrote to me. At the very end she wrote, ‘Don’t forget the grated cheese on top of the spaghetti. Be careful when you drain spaghetti, awfully hot water—worry, worry, worry. Love, Mom.’ I still have the original.”
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (Rita usually uses 17-22% fat content, like ground chuck)
- 1 large egg
- 4 in slices day-old white bread soakedwater until soft and then squeezed dry
- salt to taste (remember, Parmesan cheese is fairly salty)
- 1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper to taste
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tbsp parsley flakes
- 1/4-1/2 tsp garlic powder to taste
- 1-2 cups olive or canola oil for frying, depending on the size of your pan
- 4-6 cups tomato sauce (we used Paul Picciurro’s recipe and it was outstanding)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, bread, salt, pepper, cheese, parsley and garlic.
- Mix with your hands until thoroughly blended. Roll into 2-inch balls.
- Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a frying pan (a nonstick or well-seasoned pan works best as the meatballs tend to stick) until hot.
- Place the meatballs carefully in the pan.
- Fry on all sides until brown and crisp, about 15-20 minutes.
- It is easiest to keep the meatballs rolling while browning to prevent sticking and to brown evenly.
- Remove from the pan and transfer to a kettle of your favorite tomato sauce.
- Discard all but about 2 tbsp of the drippings from the frying pan.
- Scrape up all of the delicious browned bits from the pan and add to the sauce; stir gently.
- Simmer the meatballs in the sauce for about 30-60 minutes.
- These are delicious when served immediately, but they’re even better the next day.
- Serve with the pasta of your choice.