For the Kids: Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Ok my darling girls and husband, you want to know the meatball sauce recipe and here it is. For using any other time I’m away, sick or whatever reason you’ll have to fend for yourselves again.
Brown the meat, add a little oil to get the meat started. They don’t have to be browned all over but try and get it brown on both sides. If you have a lot of meatballs do it in batches.
Remove them to a dish.
Using the same pan and the juices left behind.
Add a little more oil.
Add a large chopped onion.
Stir it well to get all the bits off the bottom of the pan from the meat.
On slow-medium heat brown the onion, should take 5-10mins.
At the point they’re brown and translucent, ready to add everything in.
Add 1-2 grated carrots, 2 celery sticks (optional), 2 peppers (any colour).
Mix the vegetables in.
Add tins of tomatoes, depending how many meatballs you have add between 2-4 tins of tomatoes.
If they’re plums tomatoes squash them with a fork.
If the make of tomatoes I have is cirio, a good thick one then be aware the sauce will dry up quicker on cooking so good idea to add a touch of water, 2-4 tablespoons and keep an eye during the cooking it doesn’t dry out.
Add a big dollop of tomato ketchup, about 3-4 tablespoons and salt about 1 teaspoon (taste later if you need to adde touch more)
Put lid on and bring it to the boil, while collecting the herbs.
Get a bunch of thyme (if the one on kitchen window has dried up go to patio), 2 small bayleaves and small rosemary sprig from bottom of garden by office. 2-4 cloves of garlic.
Chop rosemary & garlic finely.
Now your sauce should be bubbling away, add the herbs and garlic, stir in and let it simmer with lid off.
For an 1-1.5hrs slowly bubbles. Make sure every 20mins or so you come by and stir as the liquid rises to the top and thick sauce sits on the bottom and burns.
Taste if it has enough seasoning and add pepper if you want.
When it’s ready, turn off the sauce put the lid on, cook pasta and it will still be hot enough when pasta is ready. One 500g packet of it is more than enough for the 4 of you but I never know when you lot eat more, so if you add all of it at least there won’t be complaints about not being enough!
Love Mum xx