Coyote's Duchess
Inactive
One of the very best gifts I ever got at Christmas was when I was 19 years old and away at college. My mother had purchased a nice sized 4 X 6 recipe card file and filled it with recipes that were family favorites. Over the years, I've added to it, and the recipes found in that box are only the "all-time-favorites" and "tried and true". Most of the time when I cook something from that recipe box, I really don't need to even pull the card because I've memorized it after having made it so many times. The cards are almost all smudged with varying colors of drips and spatters and a coffee mug ring or two. Even though I seldom need to refer to the recipe, it's still very enjoyable for me to pull them out and remember all the times I've made that particular dish, or remember a family time when we had it... that box is FULL of memories. :-) It is one of my most cherished possessions.
I was looking through it a while back and stumbled across a recipe that my Dad got from a man who worked for him years and years ago. "Felix" had been a Hungarian freedom fighter, and he had married a fine Italian woman who could COOK! At the pottery my father owned, once a week the employees would bring in "pot luck" for the lunch meal, placing pots and casseroles very close to the kilns, which kept everything hot. The following recipe is for the meatballs and sauce that Felix' wife would occasionaly send with him, and one that I grew up eating since I was a small girl. To me, *this* is "Meatballs". It is quite different than most meatballs and sauce recipes many people are used to, but I think it has a wonderful flavor and the leftover meatballs (I make extra!) make terrific grinders the next day. ;-)
I'll make no apologies for rather inexact amounts, because it is how the recipe was given to my mother, and it is also how I cook.
Meatballs and Sauce
3 lbs of ground round (if you don't want to spring for the price of the ground round, chuck works just as well, although you will have to spoon off more fat when you brown them. An advantage to using chuck is that the fat will hold more flavor in the meat. Always a trade-off!)
1 whole bunch of fresh parsley, chopped fine, (but not minced to mush), stems and all. (Note: Make sure you thoroughly rinse the parsley, and rinse it WELL to get rid of any grit that may be present. Also note: I have tried this recipe once using dried parsley flakes and it was a great disappointment, and I do not recommend it.)
2 or 3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 C (or so) finely grated Romano cheese (freshly grated is best, but straight out of the can works well, too.)
1 large head of garlic, peeled and minced fine. (Yes, one whole head! If the garlic is not as fresh [meaning not as pungent] I will use more. We like garlic here!) Don't try to substitute garlic powder or dried minced garlic, because as with the parsley, it just isn't the same.
*about* 1 tsp salt and few twists of fresh ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients, making sure parsley, cheese and garlic are well distributed throughout the meat. Form into whatever size meatballs you prefer. (Tip: I use a cookie dough scoop to do the meatballs; it's a good size and cuts down on some of the mess. I do this ahead of time -- several hours, usually -- and put them in the refrigerator to firm up a bit.) Brown the meatballs in olive oil in a heavy pan or skillet. They do NOT need to be completely cooked, and should NOT be completely cooked, just well browned. Set aside meatballs.
Cover the bottom of a large, heavy pot with a good quantity of good olive oil -- use at least 1/3 C. Peel and slice relatively thin 5 - 6 good sized yellow onions. Heat the oil and add the onions, cooking with a medium flame. Cook the onions until slightly limp and slightly browned, stirring often. Add to the onions several cans (I generally use 5 because we like a lot of sauce) of canned tomatoes and juice, squeezing the tomatoes before putting them in the pot. Stir well. Add one can of plain tomato sauce (no herbs added). Depending on how much juice was with the tomatoes, you may want to add some plain tomato juice. Stir well and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs to the sauce a few at a time. Bring back to a boil and reduce heat to a slow simmer. Cook for at least an hour, stirring now and then.
This sauce will be thinner than most. If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can trade a can of tomatoes/juice for a can of regular tomato sauce. The meatballs cooking will impart most of the flavor to the sauce and because of this, the longer it simmers, the better it IS. I generally leave mine on the stove for 4 hours or so. Because we like ours a little thinner than some, if it cooks down too much I'll occasionaly need to add some more tomato juice. Your preferences will dictate what you like.
I was looking through it a while back and stumbled across a recipe that my Dad got from a man who worked for him years and years ago. "Felix" had been a Hungarian freedom fighter, and he had married a fine Italian woman who could COOK! At the pottery my father owned, once a week the employees would bring in "pot luck" for the lunch meal, placing pots and casseroles very close to the kilns, which kept everything hot. The following recipe is for the meatballs and sauce that Felix' wife would occasionaly send with him, and one that I grew up eating since I was a small girl. To me, *this* is "Meatballs". It is quite different than most meatballs and sauce recipes many people are used to, but I think it has a wonderful flavor and the leftover meatballs (I make extra!) make terrific grinders the next day. ;-)
I'll make no apologies for rather inexact amounts, because it is how the recipe was given to my mother, and it is also how I cook.
Meatballs and Sauce
3 lbs of ground round (if you don't want to spring for the price of the ground round, chuck works just as well, although you will have to spoon off more fat when you brown them. An advantage to using chuck is that the fat will hold more flavor in the meat. Always a trade-off!)
1 whole bunch of fresh parsley, chopped fine, (but not minced to mush), stems and all. (Note: Make sure you thoroughly rinse the parsley, and rinse it WELL to get rid of any grit that may be present. Also note: I have tried this recipe once using dried parsley flakes and it was a great disappointment, and I do not recommend it.)
2 or 3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 C (or so) finely grated Romano cheese (freshly grated is best, but straight out of the can works well, too.)
1 large head of garlic, peeled and minced fine. (Yes, one whole head! If the garlic is not as fresh [meaning not as pungent] I will use more. We like garlic here!) Don't try to substitute garlic powder or dried minced garlic, because as with the parsley, it just isn't the same.
*about* 1 tsp salt and few twists of fresh ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients, making sure parsley, cheese and garlic are well distributed throughout the meat. Form into whatever size meatballs you prefer. (Tip: I use a cookie dough scoop to do the meatballs; it's a good size and cuts down on some of the mess. I do this ahead of time -- several hours, usually -- and put them in the refrigerator to firm up a bit.) Brown the meatballs in olive oil in a heavy pan or skillet. They do NOT need to be completely cooked, and should NOT be completely cooked, just well browned. Set aside meatballs.
Cover the bottom of a large, heavy pot with a good quantity of good olive oil -- use at least 1/3 C. Peel and slice relatively thin 5 - 6 good sized yellow onions. Heat the oil and add the onions, cooking with a medium flame. Cook the onions until slightly limp and slightly browned, stirring often. Add to the onions several cans (I generally use 5 because we like a lot of sauce) of canned tomatoes and juice, squeezing the tomatoes before putting them in the pot. Stir well. Add one can of plain tomato sauce (no herbs added). Depending on how much juice was with the tomatoes, you may want to add some plain tomato juice. Stir well and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs to the sauce a few at a time. Bring back to a boil and reduce heat to a slow simmer. Cook for at least an hour, stirring now and then.
This sauce will be thinner than most. If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can trade a can of tomatoes/juice for a can of regular tomato sauce. The meatballs cooking will impart most of the flavor to the sauce and because of this, the longer it simmers, the better it IS. I generally leave mine on the stove for 4 hours or so. Because we like ours a little thinner than some, if it cooks down too much I'll occasionaly need to add some more tomato juice. Your preferences will dictate what you like.
