Sauce and Meatballs
Sauce Ingredients
1/3 cup Olive Oil
9 Garlic Cloves
3 Tomato Cans (Whole Tomatoes Pureed with a hand blender)
15 Basil Leaves
2 Tsp. Salt
2 Tsp. Pepper
1 Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano End (Optional)
1 Pound of Pasta of Choice
Boil a pot of water for macaroni and add some salt.
Put the olive oil in a sauce pot with the garlic and slowly sauté on a low heat until cooked through. Remove the garlic from the pan and smash with a fork. Add the chopped basil to the oil as well and sautee on a low flame for about 2 minutes, Raise the heat to medium and add the tomatoes immediately. Add salt, pepper and the Parmigiano Reggiano/Pecorino end to the sauce. Let the sauce cook on a low flame for 30 minutes.
***Please Note the Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese is a hard cheese that is used grated on pasta. It has a hard end that cannot be used for grating. Instead of throwing it out you can freeze the ends and add them to your sauce or soups to make them have the flavor of the cheese. It is an excellent trick, nothing is wasted, and it makes your food taste yummy!!
Meatballs (make about 35 balls)
2 Pounds of Ground Pork
2/3 Pound Ground Beef
1 ¼ Cups Bread Crumbs
1 ¼ Cups Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
3 ½ Tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Pepper
1 Tsp. Garlic Pepper (I use McCormick Brand California Style Garlic Pepper)
2 Tbsp. Parsley
1 ¾ Cups of Tomato Sauce
3 Eggs Beaten
¼ Pound Polly-O Mozzarella cut into ¼ inch cubes
Vegetable Oil for Fryer.
In a bowl mix the meat, grated cheese, salt, pepper, garlic power, parsley, and eggs. In a separate bowl mix the breadcrumbs and the tomato sauce and add to the meat mixture.
Take about 2 tbsp. of meat mixture in your hands and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball and place mozzarella in the middle. Gently push the meat around the top of the mozzarella and reform the ball with the mozzarella in the middle. Fry the meatballs in a fryer until cooked through. Take the balls out of the fryer and drain on a piece of paper towels (this will help absorb excess oil). Add the meatballs to the sauce. Boil the pasta and add tomato sauce to it. Serve with the meatballs on the side.