Here's a good recipe for meatballs that I came up with. Paired with my homemade marinara sauce (see recipe below), this is a great meal that can be served along with pasta. Add in a great bottle of red wine, this is a restaurant quality meal that can easily be made at home. Actually, the recipe for my meatballs aren't much different than the basic part of my Meatloaf recipe.
My Meatballs
2 lbs – Mixed equal portions of ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal (Ground beef and ground pork can be used if veal isn't available. I get frozen one pound packages from Golick's Butcher Shop here in Davenport.)
½ cup – dry bread crumbs (unseasoned, or garlic seasoned)
½ teaspoon – salt
½ teaspoon – cracked black pepper
1 onion, chopped
½ cup water
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 egg
2 tablespoons olive oil
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except oil, mix well. Shape into 1½ to 2 inch diameter meatballs. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add meatballs, cook 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Place meatballs on greased cooking sheet and bake in oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
Homemade Marinara Sauce
1 - 28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic - peeled and chopped
1 medium onion - chopped
2 tbsp Italian seasoning (dried basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, sage)
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
6 to 8 oz. beer (American lager, such as Budweiser)
1 tsp - sea salt
1 tbsp - cracked black pepper
Pour the tomatoes and juice from can into a large bowl and use a fork to mash and cut the tomaotes until they're a little chunky.
Heat the olive oil in a 4 quart sauce pan over medium heat. When the oil is sufficiently heated, add the chopped onions, chopped garlic and Italian seasonings. (Actually, I like to add the chopped garlic first because I love the smell of sauteed garlic chunks.)
Stir all until lightly browned, about five minutes, tops. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring regularly. Add beer and tomato paste. Lower the heat, add the salt and pepper and let simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring every 3 to 5 minutes.
Serve marinara over the cooked meatballs. Bon Appetit!
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