Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

No, there is no spaghetti hiding just off camera upon which this dish is to be poured, because this is not an American dish, this is an Italian dish. And Italians simply do not have a tradition of spaghetti and meatballs (or any other pasta and meatballs). It simply isn’t done. This dish exists in America because southern Italian immigrants were shocked at how inexpensive meat was compared to what it cost in the old country, and so they created the spaghetti and meatballs gut buster that’s been a standby in Italian “red sauce” restaurants for decades, until most of them were put out of business by a Texan food conglomorate marketing boat sized plates of fake Italian food through hundreds of Olive Garden franchisees.

In Italy you might enjoy a primo of a simple pasta dish or perhaps a risotto, followed by a dish such as this as the secondo. My version of Meatballs in Tomato Sauce is primarily adapted from a recipe by Marcela Hazan. but omits browning of the meatballs prior to adding them to the sauce. I like my meatballs soft, airy, and pillowy in texture, so I choose to not sear them prior to giving them their slow bath in a simmering tomato sauce. Here’s my recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 slice of good quality white bread
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
• 1 Tbsp. onions, chopped very fine
• 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 Tbsp. freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
• 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes (preferably Mutti)

Instructions

Trim away the bread’s crust and place the bread slice and milk into a small saucepan. Heat on low heat until the bread has soaked up all of the milk. Mash with a fork and set aside.

Into a bowl put the meat, onion, parsley, egg, olive oil, grated parmigiano-reggiano, and grated nutmeg. Add the bread and milk mush, salt, and several grindings of black pepper. Gently knead the mixture with your hands without squeezing into balls about 1 inch in diameter.

In a sauté pan that can accommodate all the meatballs in a single layer. Over medium heat, add the crushed tomatoes and salt and stir. Once heated, add the meatballs, turning them over once or twice to coat them well. Cover the pan and adjust the heat to cook at a quiet but steady simmer for 20-25 minutes, periodically turning over the meatballs to distribute the sauce. Taste and correct for salt, and serve.

Ahead-of-time note. The dish can be cooked entirely in advance and stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for several days. Reheat gently before serving.