Mes amis!

We are celebrating tomato day of Grape Harvest month and I can share with you one of my most honed recipes. To truly celebrate the tomato in its season, I think the best choice would be a BLT. But, you don’t need a recipe for that! Instead, I present to you the best recipe for spaghetti and meatballs. It’s the sunday sauce of your dreams! Adapted from Tony Danza’s (yes, he has his own cookbook) recipe, I’ve made several changes over the years. It takes some time to make. What always works best for me is to make the meatballs the day before I plan on serving the spaghetti. Then, day-of, make the sauce and simmer the meatballs in the sauce for an hour or two. Tony uses a ton of garlic – embrace it! He also juices his canned tomatoes, but I opt not to do this. I prefer a chunkier sauce. To get a softer texture in the interior of the meatball, I have switched to heavy cream. Tony suggests using any combination of ground sirloin, ground pork and adds pork ribs as well. I typically use only ground sirloin and omit the ribs. I have done it both ways and they are both delicious. I always feel like Clemenza when I pour the tomatoes into the pan.

Sunday Sauce with Meatballs 

2 cans (28 oz each) of peeled San Marzano (D.O.P., when possible) tomatoes in basil

1 can tomato paste (6 oz)

1/4 cup olive oil

13 garlic cloves, divided

1 medium onion, chopped

3 anchovy fillets in oil

salt and pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 cup water

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1 lb ground sirloin

2 eggs

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup flour

1 container of spaghetti

 

Meatballs 

In a medium bowl, put the ground meat, eggs, 6 cloves of chopped garlic, bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese and heavy cream. Mix it all together lightly with your hands. Working on the counter next to your sink, start rolling the meatballs in about two tablespoon sized balls. Whenever your hands get sticky, just run them under some cool water. Pour a cup of flour on to a large plate and begin rolling each meatball in the flour to get a thin dusting.

Most important step: pinch off a small piece of the meat mixture and fry it up to check the taste. I usually end up adding more salt at this point.

Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large skillet. Add 3 cloves of chopped garlic and cook until brown. Remove the garlic and start adding the meatballs. Get them nice and brown! I usually turn them three times to get each meatball crispy and brown all over. The meatballs will continue to cook while simmering in the sauce, so no need to cook them all the way through at this point. If you are splitting up the work of this recipe and making your meatballs the day before, put them in the fridge and they’ll be all set to plop in to the sauce tomorrow.

Sauce 

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large dutch oven or heavy pot. Add 4 cloves of chopped garlic, the chopped onion, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the anchovy fillets and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cans of tomato, red wine, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, tomato paste and 1 tablespoon salt. Then add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs, lower the heat and simmer for two hours.

Add the basil just before you are ready to serve and combine the cooked spaghetti with the sauce. Invite some friends over and enjoy!