Not Quite Like Mom's... But Not Bad

Pasta with sauce and meatballs. Or, as I knew it growing up, macaroni and "gravy" with meatballs. I decided that if I was going to keep this family tradition on-going then I better get with the program and start perfecting my mother's recipe. So I gave it a go.


Checking my ingredients to make sure I have everything. (Btw, my mother would only use fresh basil (usually from the backyard) and bay leaf. )



Let's start with the meatballs.



Mixed together nice-sa nice.



Start heating the olive oil. I like the meatballs fried instead of baked. The store was all out of Genco olive oil.



Baker's dozen meatballs.



Hmmm, datsa nice.



Kitchen is smelling good now.



Let's get started on the gravy.
Onions


Browning the chopped meat.



Add 2 cans of crushed tomatoes.



Mission control, the meatballs have landed safely in the gravy. Can you smell it yet?





What self-respecting Italian person doesn't have a leftover dish of gravy and meatballs in their refrigerator? Not this one, I'll tell ya that!




Buon Appetito!


(Sorry about the horrible pics.)

Muy bueno! Thanks for letting folks know that you need meat in the sauce! I'm personally more of a meat sauce kinda guy when I'm doing the cooking, but no one appreciates a good meatball like me. I toss a bit of red pepper flakes in with my meat and sauce to kick things up a bit. (To date I've just barely managed to keep from adding jalapenos )

BTW, what time is dinner? Any vino being served?

Being too lazy to make meatballs from scratch, as a batchelor I came up with a good substitute ... frozen sausage! Now, any heft sausage will do (not that miniscule breakfast variety, but real meat sausage), but I finally settled on a nice spicy chorizo the local store sold.

Step 1: buy sausages.

Step 2: freeze sausages (this is actually important ... but I will skip it if Gordon "You're a pillock" Ramsey ever accepts my dinner invitation.)

then, whenever you want to make pasta sauce ...

Step 3: slice frozen sausages ... see how easily the frozen sausages slice with nice even edges??

Step 4: fry the sausage slices in your cast-iron pan or pot, wherein you also fry your garlic & make your sauce. (Treat the sausage slices like you would a steak on the grill ... don't poke them around, leave them to fry and get a nice blackened crust! When they are done, in goes the tomato sauce &c.)

Those meatballs look phenomenal. Very impressive Bob!

johnniegold said:

Or, as I knew it growing up, macaroni and "gravy" with meatballs.

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The use of the word "gravy" tells me several things-

You're Italian*
You're from the NY/NJ area
You know what this should taste like








*NB: If you're from the NY/NJ area, you are Italian, even if you're not.

I think you might have something there Jay.

ouch said:

The use of the word "spaghetti sauce" tells me several things-

You're Scottish/Ukranian*
You're from Canada
You don't know what this should taste like








*NB: If you're from Canada, you are Scottish/Ukranian, even if you're not.

Click to expand...

It hurts when I laugh. I have to leave now.

What time should I come over?

Molto ben fatto! Le polpette di carne deliziosa guardare.

Mmmmmm.... Even though I have just eaten this thread is makung me hungry.

Doc4: Try to add a squish of lemon juice to the sausages and garlic while roasting them. It really adds something to the taste.


Regards.

Jakob

ouch said:

The use of the word "gravy" tells me several things-

You're Italian*
You're from the NY/NJ area
You know what this should taste like



*NB: If you're from the NY/NJ area, you are Italian, even if you're not.

Click to expand...

Haha... nice Job Bobby!

Austin said:

Molto ben fatto! Le polpette di carne deliziosa guardare.

Click to expand...

Jim said:

Haha... nice Job Bobby!

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Grazie. Ho provato.

Damn, looks good.

I know what I want for dinner now...

You just had to post this on the night my lovely wife isn't home to cook dinner, eh Bob? She makes a similar dish (same mix of tasty ground critters in the meatballs), though without meat in the gravy itself.

Oh well, back to my leftover chicken chili...

Austin said:

Molto ben fatto! Le polpette di carne deliziosa guardare.

Click to expand...

I used to teach Italian. Eg:

Definately.
Fuggedaboudit.
Hey, I wanna know who died and left you boss.

You sound like Joey Lemongello.

johnniegold said:

You sound like Joey Lemongello.

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No, that was Joey Baggadonuts and Carmello Lemoncola.
Tony Trayaziti.
Muscles Marinara.

Bob those meatballs look really good. I think If my mum ( southern Italian lady who cooks everything from scratch) saw them , she would be proud.

Man you are making me hungry. I am not Italian, but I make a mean Sunday gravy. A couple of tips - first, the panade is key. Some sort of dairy and bread mixture. I use white bread and some buttermilk mashed into a paste. Also, some sweet sausage substituted for the pork is nice as well.

If you really want to gild the lily, then some homemade braciole and ribs go into the pot with the meatballs.

Good job, Bob!