Pasta and Meatballs

[Thaimo]

I am sure everyone has his own favorite Pasta, sauce, and meatballs recipe and I hope you will share your favorites. Here is one of my personal favorites:

Mama Lee's Recipe for Meatballs and Sauce (for spaghetti, penne or other pasta)

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup plain bread crumbs

3 garlic cloves

2 teaspoons fennel seed

2 teaspoons sweet basil

1 teaspoon oregano

2 medium-sized onions

2 teaspoons parsley

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (or Romano)

a little cooking oil (I prefer olive oil)

2 eggs

3-4 tablespoons water

1 12 oz. can tomato paste

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

3 large bay leafs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop up the garlic into little pieces. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with the breadcrumbs, parsley, 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, garlic, eggs and parmesan cheese. Wash your hands thoroughly and mix these ingredients together, adding the water until it is the right consistency. Shape the meatballs into 1 1/2" round and put them on a cookie sheet. Place into an oven for 5-10 min only. Set aside and make the sauce below:

Chop up the onions. Add a little oil to a frying pan and saute the onions on med heat until they just start to turn brown. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

Put a large pot onto a burner on low heat. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Fill the empty 28 oz. crushed tomato can with water and pour into the pot. Fill and pour 2 more times. Fill the empty 12 oz. tomato paste can with water and pour into the pot. Fill and pour two more times. Fill the empty 12 oz. tomato paste can with the red rose wine and pour into the pot. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Then add the onions, sweet basil, fennel seed and bay leafs. Mix well. Add the meatballs.

Cook on low for 5 hours, stirring occasionally.

Pour over cooked pasta and serve with the meatballs and add Parmesan cheese to your personal taste.

[lvdkeyes]

You are right about everyone having their favorite. Here is mine. One thing I like about it is there is no need to bake or fry the meatballs.

Italian Tomato Gravy

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped

• Pinch red pepper flakes

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 carrot, finely chopped

• 1/4 cup red wine

• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes

• Pinch sugar

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Sauté the garlic, red pepper flakes, and herbs for 2 minutes until the herbs are fragrant and garlic is golden (but not overly brown.) Raise the heat to medium, add onion and carrot; cook for 5 minutes until they breakdown and are soft. Deglaze with red wine and reduce to evaporate the alcohol. Crush the canned tomatoes and add to the pot, along with its liquid. Add a pinch of sugar to cut down on the acidity from the tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.

Italian Sausage Meatballs:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings

• 1 pound hot Italian sausage, removed from casings

• 10 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 4 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, sweet sausage, hot sausage, garlic, eggs, Essence, salt, and black pepper, and mix briefly but thoroughly to distribute seasonings. Shape into meatballs and set aside, refrigerated.

Essence

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

[Thaimo]

You are right about everyone having their favorite. Here is mine.

I have never found good Italian sausage anywhere in Thailand, not even in Italian restaurants. Do you have a recipe for making your own Italian sausage?

[lvdkeyes]

At Carrefour they have a sausage they call country sausage. Sometimes I remove it from the casing and add fennel. Villa has a reasonable Italian sausage in their freezer case. Or I make my own.

Italian Sausage - Makes 5 lbs.

5 lbs. ground meat pork (80% lean to 20% fat)

2 tbsp. table salt

1 tbsp. fennel seed, cracked

1/2 tbsp. coriander

1 1/2 tbsp. paprika

3/4 tsp. red chili pepper, flakes

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

Combine the ground meat with all ingredients, mix/knead well. Taste test by cooking a small thin patty. Taste test by frying a small thin patty. Add more spices if needed at this time and remix. Taste test again if you feel it's necessary.

For bulk sausage simply form sausage patties or stuff into poly meat bags. I also form sausages and wrap them in cling film wrap, twisting the ends in opposite directions to form a tight sausage. Refrigerate up to a week or freeze until needed.

If you are using casings slide a 33MM to 36MM hog casing or a 32MM collagen sausage casing onto the sausage tube.

Do not refrigerate the Italian sausage mixture before you stuff it into the sausage casing as the meat will "set up" and put undo stress on your sausage stuffer. Stuff the seasoned meat into the sausage casing. The casing should be full but not full enough to burst when you begin to form links. The more you operate the sausage stuffer the easier it becomes to determine the proper fullness. With practice you will be stuffing sausage casings like a pro. The rule of thumb "practice makes perfect" applies here.

To form Italian sausage links press your forefinger and thumb together to make a slight indent in the casing about every six inches. Twist 3 or 4 turns, repeat the process for the next link, only twist 3 or 4 turns in the opposite direction. Refrigerate the Italian sausage links up to a week or freeze up to 6 months.

Bake, fry, grill or broil the Italian sausage links in usual manner until they are fully cooked.