20 February 2020
Welcome friends. So, yeah, I've been gone for a while. My landlord put the building up for sale and the new owners kicked all the tenants out so they could gut the units and rehab them. I had to find a new place and move. That was my spring and summer. I really underestimated the amount of stuff that I accumulated over time. It was a rough move.
I am a creative packer and tend to slip things into boxes that have extra room. I did that with some recipes and I have no idea where they are. They must be in a box that I have not unpacked. I still have unpacked boxes for things that I have no place to put away, like art books and compact discs. This is one of the lost recipes that I had to recreate.
I am specific about the tomatoes used in this sauce, because they make all the difference. When I looked at marina recipes, they had a large amount of olive oil. I had no idea why. Later, I discovered that the extra oil was for cooks using fresh tomatoes. The idea is that you fry the tomatoes a bit over high heat. Here, I use canned tomatoes, but that is why I like fire roasted tomatoes for this recipe. They have already been exposed to high heat.
This sauce gives you lots of options. It freezes well. You can use it as a base for a cream sauce or a vodka sauce. The times in this recipe are for the sauce. I always make the sauce first. I might make the meatballs the same day, if I have time. I might make them the next day. I do a lot of meal prep on the weekend.
This is not the same meatball recipe that I posted for mini-meatballs. There is something about meatballs that makes me happy. My mom never made meatballs. My grandmother never made meatballs. Maybe I just like round food. I've been using heavy cream to tenderize the ground beef. I also like to use ground pork in this recipe. I started with ground turkey, but I found that the meatballs are more tender using pork.
Marinara Sauce with Meatballs
35 min. prep time | 1 hr cook time | 30 min cool time
Ingredients
Serves 6
- for the sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced and set aside
- 1 large or 2 small shallots, small-diced
- 2 celery stalks, medium-diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and medium-diced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 28 oz can Muir Glen, fire roasted and crushed tomatoes
- 24.46 oz box San Marzano, crushed tomatoes
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- for the meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 Tbl heavy cream
- 1 lb ground pork
- 4 tsp porcini mushroom powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cayenne red pepper
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground ancho chili pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
- 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
Directions
Make the Marinara Sauce
mince the garlic and set aside.
dice the shallots, celery, and carrots. Place in a small bowl and set aside.
heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallots, celery, and carrots and sauté for 12 minutes. Stir the vegetables frequently.
add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
add the tomatoes, salt, and bay leaf and stir to combine.
reduce the heat to low. Partially cover the pot with a lid, and simmer the sauce for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
remove the bay leaf and let the sauce cool for 30 minutes or more. Place half of the sauce in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside and repeat with the remaining sauce.
Make the Meatballs
place the ground beef in a small bowl. Pour the cream over the beef. Use your hands to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
preheat the oven to 350° F.
place the pork in a large bowl. Add the ground beef, mushroom powder, pepper, salt, cumin, and ancho powder. Use your hands to combine the mixture.
break the egg into a cup and lightly beat it with a fork. Add the garlic to the meats. Pour the egg over the mixture. Use your hands to combine.
add the bread crumbs last. Use your hands to combine the ingredients.
shape the meatballs with your hands. Place the meatballs in a 9 by 13 baking dish. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Use a pair of tongs to turn the meatballs over and bake for another 25 minutes.
warm the sauce over medium heat while the meatballs finish baking. Once the meatballs are done, use tongs to add them to the sauce. Reduce the heat. Partially cover the pan and simmer for about 1 hour. Stir the sauce occasionally.