Marie's Gravy and Meatballs
A delicious and savory authentic Italian "gravy" and meatballs with the perfect blend of spices and flavors.
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 small Lamb shank
- 1 small Pork butt
- 1 small Piece of beef (any)
- 6 med Sweet or Hot Italian Sausage
- 4 28 oz cans Whole, peeled tomatoes
- 1 12 oz cans Tomato paste
- 1 tsp each Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp Oregano
- 1 tbsp Parsley
- 2-3 tbsp Sugar
For the Meatballs:
- 1 lb Lean ground beef
- 1 med Egg
- 3 Cloves Minced garlic
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Parsley
- 1 tsp each Salt and Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Finely grated Romano or Parmeasan cheese
- 1/2 cup Italian bread that has been soaked in ice water for a few minutes. Tear pieces of the bread apart and mix with the meat. Discard the crust.
Instructions
For the Sauce:
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and saute the minced garlic until soft but not browned
- Add the meats and sear until brown, almost blackened.
- While the meat is cooking, puree the tomatoes in a food processor until blended. Then add to the meat in the saucepan.
- Add the tomato paste to the food processor with add a can of water, and process until blended.Then add to the meat and tomatoes in the saucepan.
- Season with the salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and sugar.
For the Meatballs:
- Mix the ground meat, egg, seasonings, cheese and Italian bread in a medium bowl.
- Form into 2" balls
- Add 1 tbsp oil to a frying pan and brown meatballs until cooked through.
- Add meatballs to the saucepan and continue to simmer the gravy for 3-4 hours.
- After 3-4 hours of simmering, the tomato gravy is ready. The sausage, meatballs and meat are removed and served separately. The pasta is boiled until al dente, tossed with the tomato gravy, and topped with a generous sprinkling of Romano and Parmesan cheeses. Deliziosa!