Meatballs and Marinara

Man, you guys are so lucky. This was super delicious. It got a "nyum!" and a smile from my daughter and a "I need more meatballs, mommy!" from my son.

The marinara recipe I jacked from my dad, because he's awesome. BUT, he thinks his meatballs are the best... I think we can all stand to learn a little from the older generation AND from the younger generation. There. I'm diplomatic now (he'll stop cooking for me if I talk too much).

Marinara:
large can of tomato sauce
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1-2 anchovy filets
1/2 C white wine
some grated white onion
red pepper flakes

Meatballs:
ground beef
ground pork
grated onion
1 egg yolk and 1 whole egg
some breadcrumbs
some ricotta cheese
some parmesan cheese
oregano
garlic powder
s+p

 

In a pan, add some olive oil, the garlic and the red pepper flakes. Saute for about 2 minutes on medium-low, then add tomato sauce.

 

Grate your onion and chop the anchovy very finely. You won't even notice an anchovy-fishy-flavor. It just adds a certain "awesome" to the sauce. Umami.

 

Add the onions, anchovy, and white wine to the tomato sauce. Let simmer on low for about 20 minutes. DONE.

 

Throw together all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl.

 

Mix well with your hands. If it seems a little dry, add some milk. The moisture content of my balls was perfect (that's what she said).

 

Make meatballs. I like little ones because the kids get to have a bunch of kid-sized meatballs and I get to have lots and lots of meatballs all over my pasta.

 

Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Another perk of small meatballs? Less cooking time. We snacked on these to make sure they were good. Quality control.

 

Good idea for a party: roll the meatballs in a little panko while they're raw and FRY them. Then serve with marinara.