Tomato-Meat Sauce

Growing up I thought my mom made the best spaghetti sauce in the world.  Yes, it was good, but being a southern cook, it wasn’t exactly as it should have been.  I have taken her recipe and added a few things here and there, including home made Italian sausage (See Below).

Sauce Ingredients:

1 pound homemade italian sausage (See Below)  or bought.
1 pound ground beef
2 Tablespoon olive oil
6 cloves chopped garlic
6 large diced roma tomatoes
1 “6 ounce can” of tomato paste
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 Tablespoon basil
2 Tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup dark brown sugar

Directions:
Chop up your hamburger and sausage meat and brown it in a large pot with olive oil. Add garlic and cook for a few minutes over medium heat (be careful not to burn garlic). Add and crush the tomatoes. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.

Continue cooking until the meat is broken down and the sauce is the consistency/thickness you like, about one hour.

Meat Balls

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef, 85% lean
1 pound ground pork
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups dried bread crumbs
1 cups milk
1 tbsp. salt, coarse grained like Kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper, fresh ground if possible
1 tbsp. oregano
2 tsp. fennel seeds crushed fine
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. butter
3 cups onions, diced very fine
2 tsp. garlic, minced
3/4 cup parsley, chopped fresh
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350° F.

Melt the butter with the oil over medium heat in a pan, add the onions and garlic and cook until soft and beginning to brown. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl combine the ground beef, ground pork, beaten eggs, bread crumbs, milk, salt, pepper, oregano and fennel. Mix well with a large spoon or use your hands (but wear a pair of surgical gloves to prevent cross contamination of bacteria). When mixed well, add the cooked onion mixture, parsley and grated cheese; mix everything together again. Cook a small piece in a frying pan and taste it to see if the level of salt and pepper is to your liking; adjust if necessary.

Form the mixture into 1 1/2 ounce balls, a #14 ice cream scoop works well for this portioning. Pat and compress together well and place in an oiled baking pan. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the internal temperature is 145-150° F. Remove from the oven and cool. You may serve the meatballs plain or with a sauce.  As you can see, I added mine into the sauce once cooked.

Home Made Italian Sausage

Y’all, this is just like making my Home Made Country Sausage.  Mostly, you just change the seasonings and spices.  The fennel seeds are the main thing we are all used to in the taste of Italian Sausage.  Please give it a try if you have a meat grinder, it is so easy.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds well-marbled pork butt, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon ground anise
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley leaves
• 3 tablespoons dry red wine
• Pork casings, optional

Directions

Combine the pork butt, garlic, paprika, fennel seeds, salt, pepper, cayenne, anise, parsley, and red wine in a large bowl and toss well to coat. Refrigerate covered overnight or up to 24 hours.

Pass the mixture through a meat grinder fitted with a medium die. To test the seasoning, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small skillet, and cook about 2 teaspoons of the mixture. Adjust seasonings, to taste.

Using the sausage attachment on a mixer, stuff the meat into the casings, if being used. Twist and tie off to make 4-inch sausages. Alternately, shape into patties. Cook sausage in usual manner, making sure the internal temperature of the sausage links reaches at least 150 degrees F. Uncooked sausage can be stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days or freeze and use within 3 months.