Simple Marinara with Meatballs

When we're in the mood for Italian food, but without wanting to make a big deal of of it, I usually turn to a simple marinara sauce and whip up some meat balls.  Served over thin spagetti with some Sweet Italian loaf bread, a salad, and grated parmesean cheese this is easy and hard to beat.


Here's how I do it:


Ingredients:


1 pound of Purnell's (or Bob Evans, or ... from the butcher shop) Italian Sausage
1/4 large yellow onion, chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
1/4 red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon fennel seed
1/16 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablesppons light brown sugar
1 large can Contadina crushed tomatoes
1 small can Contadina tomato paste
1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
red wine
olive oil


Begin my mixing the bread crumbs and grated cheese with the sausage.  Form into meatballs about the size of a golf ball.  There's a certain nostalgia in that for me - given the outside temperature today is around 20 degrees and golf balls are quietly sitting in the trunk of my Infiniti patiently waiting.  Hang in there boys, it won't be long!


Oh, marinara with meatballs ... sorry.  One pound of sausage makes about one dozen meatballs ... the size of golf balls (sigh).  Lightly brown the meatballs in a large skillet and transfer to a plate with a paper towel laid out to absorb excess fat.  Add the onion and peppers to the skillet and saute lightly.  Pour in a splash of wine to deglaze the pan. 


Add the garlic and mushrooms.  BTW, I usually deglaze the pan with some frozen chicken stock I keep in the freezer - ice cube trays do have another purpose in life - but wine would do as well (or both).  Return the meatballs to the skillet.  Add the tomato products and one can of water (using the paste can) and the same amount of red wine.  Add the brown sugar and herbs.  Mix and bring to a light bubble.  Add a pinch or salt and a couple of grinds from your pepper mill.  Taste, adjust, cover and walk away.


Allow to simmer and bubble for as long as you want - mine typically goes for 3 hours.  Very little supervision is required ... I find it hard not to have this pressing need to "taste test" about every 30 minutes.  But I'm retired and a Type A obsessive/compulsive.  You do your thing, your way ... it'll be just fine.


When its time to eat, prep the pasta, plate it up or serve it family style (boy, there's another nostalgic deal for you since everybody in our family lives in another State of this Union - scheesh).