Anthony's Pasta Sauce, Meatballs & Braciole. Overall preparation and cooking time 4 to 5 hours or longer...
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How to make the Pasta Sauce, Meatballs and Braciole Recipe...
*** Please read this recipe carefully all the way through a few times before attempting to make it. It will take a little planning.
Stuff you will need to make Anthony's Pasta Sauce Recipe: Note: All seasonings are dry except for the Parsley, the Parsley MUST be fresh!
Oregano
1 Bay Leaf
Sweet Basil
Fresh Parsley (Fresh Parsley - This is Important!! It MUST be Fresh Parsley!)
Garlic Powder
(1) Vidalia Onion (...not too large but bigger than medium)
Salt/Pepper
Garlic, Lots of Garlic!
Cajun Seasoning - Just a dash (any spicy Cajun seasoning will do)
Olive Oil (recommend "Filippo BERIO Olive Oil" imported from Italy)
Sugar (your gonna add just a little bit later on during the cooking)
(2) 28 oz. / (2) 800g Tomato Sauce (preferably "Hunt's")
(2) 6 oz. / (2) 170g Tomato Paste (preferably "Hunt's")
(2) 16 oz. / (1) 450g Diced Tomatoes (preferably "Hunt's" and if you can get it, you want the "petite" diced)
Red Wine (preferably "Ruffino Chianti Classico")
(2) Pork Chops (Average size, thin and with the bone) This comes into the recipe when you start making the Meatballs.. You are making the Meatballs right? It really adds to the flavor of the sauce!)
(1) Package of Italian Sausage (I recommend the mild not the spicy)
A good Sauce pan at lease 10" diameter and 12" deep (Make sure you have a quality pan, cheap pans have a very thin bottom which tends to burn whatever it is you are cooking. A good quality sauce pan has a very thick bottom to it, this is much better for things that you have to cook for a long time such as sauces and soups.)
Water (you will be adding approximately 34 oz. of water along the way during the cooking process, this is an important step so pay attention. Blue text indicates the addition of water). Don't worry, it will evaporate out. ... ...... ~ See below for VERY detailed recipe instructions...
* If you're brave enough, you can add salt pork to this recipe. Here is the methed for this deep dark Italian grandma secret!
OK, are you ready? Here we go.... (Printer friendly version here) Read on for Spaghetti Sauce, Meat Balls & Braciole Recipe instructions...
*** This Italian Pasta Sauce Page is dedicated to my Dad, who always wanted to know how to make his Mother-In-Law's Sauce. *** ...and now I have a new page dedicated to my grandma Salerno which is where most of my recipes origiante from. The new My Italian Grandmother page should answer most of the questions. :-)
How to make the Spaghetti Sauce, Meat Balls and Braciole Recipe...
First...
Put enough olive oil in the pan to just barely cover the bottom. You want to have enough oil where the garlic can soak a little bit.
Note: Make sure you have started the "background Italian music", it will help get you in the mood for Italian Cooking. Or you can also download the Italian background music which has more songs and higher quality :-) Great to play while you're cooking! Hey, my Uncle Johnny is even playing the accordian on some of the tracks! Grab it here. (This link will open a new window, just click on the green download button.
Next...
Chop up (3) Large cloves of garlic as fine as you can. It's better to do this manually with a knife and your fingers in lieu of using a garlic chopper.. This way, you will have that nice Italian Grandmother smell. If you do not have an Italian Grandmother.. Trust me, their fingers always smell like garlic ;)
Next...
Add the garlic to the oil. Do not heat the pan up yet, just let the garlic sit there and bathe in the olive oil for a bit, this will help get the garlic flavor into the oil. You listening? These are Italian Grandma cooking secrets... it's important stuff ;)
Next...
While the garlic is bathing in the olive oil, chop up (1) large Vidalia onion as fine as you can.
Next...
Heat the oil and garlic - medium heat. Heat until you see little bubbles around the garlic. (DO NOT OVER COOK THE GARLIC) When you see the little bubbles around the garlic add the chopped up onions and lower the heat to medium low. Be sure to do this as soon as you see the little bubbles around the edges of the garlic~ This is Important!
Next...
Simmer at low heat, the oil, garlic and onions for about 5 minutes. While the onion, garlic and oil are simmering add 1 tsp. Oregano, 1/2 tsp. Sweet Basil, a dash of Salt and Pepper and mix well.
Next...
Spoon in (1) 6 oz. can of Tomato Paste. Fill this 6 oz. tomato paste can with water, stir it up good to get all the paste off the inside of the can and add it to the pan. Turn the heat back up to medium. Mix well until paste is consistent throughout. Simmer for about 4 minutes. (Be sure to stir the sauce constantly for these 4 minutes) I call this Italian Roux. At this point you should add a touch of salt, black pepper and 1/2 tsp. of Oregano.
Next...
Add (2) 16 oz. can of Diced Tomatoes. Fill (1) of these 16 oz. cans with water about 1/2 full, stir it up good to get all the tomato out of it then add it to the pan. Mix well and simmer for 10 more minutes. Stir constantly. While simmering add 1 tsp. Oregano (yes, again), 1/2 tsp. Sweet Basil, 1-1/2 tsp. fresh chopped Parsley, just a dash of Cajun Seasoning 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder and a dash of course black pepper.
Next...
Add the second 6 oz. Tomato Paste. Fill this 6 oz. tomato paste can with water, stir it up good to get all the paste off the inside of the can and add it to the pan. Mix well and heat for another 15 minutes or so. At this point you should add a little salt and pepper. The heat should be set to medium heat, the sauce should not be boiling, if boiling turn down heat just a little. Also be sure to stir sauce every minute or so, you don't want anything sticking to the bottom of the pan in this part of the sauce making process. :-) Make sure the paste is mixed in well. When you add the tomato paste at this point, it's going to clump together, get a wooden spoon and squeeze the paste up against the side of the pan to mix the paste in well with the sauce.
Next...
Add (2) 28 oz. cans of Tomato Puree' ("Hunts") or Tomato Sauce ("Progresso"). Mix well. Fill (1) of the 28 oz. cans up with water about 1/2 full, then add this to the sauce. Add 1 tsp. Oregano (yes, again), Important note about adding Oregano and Sweet Basil, when adding this to the sauce, pour the tsp full in the palm or your hand and with your other hand rub hard to grind up the seasoning, this brings out the flavor a little more. 1 tsp. Parsley, (3) dashes of Sweet Basil and (3) dashes of Garlic Powder. Mix well. Keep at medium heat and cover pan. Be sure the sauce is not at a rapid boil. A little boiling is OK but not too much. Heat should be at medium or lower. You want to keep the medium heat on the sauce while you make the Meat Balls.
OK, if you have been doing the math, you should have added by now a grand total of approximately 34 oz. of water. Actually this does not have to be exact, can be more or less. Adding the water helps you cook the sauce longer so you can better cook the meat. *** Don't forget to keep stirring the sauce every 3 minutes or so while you're making the Meat Balls ~ This is Important!
Next...
Add 1/3 cup red wine and mix well. Let simmer (almost boiling) for about 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
At this point in your culinary adventure you will want to drop in (1) Bay Leaf, mix this sauce well after dropping in the bay leaf. To add a little fun you may want to toss the bay leaf over your back and see if you can make it into the pot ;)
OK, you're doing great! Now wipe the sweat of your forehead and lets get those Meat Balls going before the sauce burns....!
Just let the sauce simmer (not boiling) while you're preparing the meatballs. It could take you about 1/2 hour to finish the Meatballs.
*** Important Note: About 10 minutes before you put the Meatballs into the sauce you will need to add (2) Tsp's of sugar. Sprinkle this in slowly while you're stirring the sauce. Mix the sauce well after adding the sugar. Ok - just let it cook some more... Well...? Start making those Balls!
Anthony's Meatballs and Pork Chops (an extremely important part of this recipe for overall flavor, adds a lot to the sauce, really!!!... You must make the Meat Balls!! ~ This is Important!)
Oh, wait..... Did I forget to tell you my Families recipe for Braciole, you know, that steak with bread crumb type filling all rolled up and held together with toothpicks or string... The string around the Braciole we call Italian dental floss :-) Braciole is an excellent addition to the sauce recipe. It makes the sauce taste even better! It's a good!! ~ The Briciole recipe is towards the bottom of this page.
Important Note:If you are going to make the Braciole (not a requirement - but an enhancement to the sauce) this is where you would make it and add it to the sauce. You should make the Briciole before the Pork Chops and Before the Meatballs. The meat for the Braciole needs to cook in the sauce longer than the Balls and Chops. **Very Important Note:You will want to make the Braciole and brown it in a pan as noted in the Braciole recipe toward the bottom of this page. You should also put the Braciole in the sauce right from the pan and you should place them in the sauce before you make the meatballs. This way your Braciole is cooking while you're preparing the meatballs
OK... Back to the Chops and Balls!
Very Important Tip. When frying the Meat Balls and Pork Chops you MUST have a very good Non-Stick pan. Believe me, this helps!
Important Note: Before you make the Meat Balls you need to add the Pork Chops to the Mix.... Remember as I said in the beginning of the recipe; "(2) Pork Chops (Average size thin) This comes into the recipe when you start making the Meat Balls" hey.. Here we are :-))
Pork Chops: Take the (2) thin Pork Chops and fry them in a pan. Cook on low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, then crank up the heat to high and sear the chops. You want to brown the meat. Cook on high for about 2 minutes on each side, just enough to brown each side of the chop. Add the chops to the sauce and stir. You want them to cook in the sauce while you're making the Meat Balls. ~ Now you can move onto the Meatballs...
OK, Here is the stuff you will need for the Meat Balls:
1 lb. / 450g Ground Chuck
1 Egg
1-1/2 pieces of dark Wheat Bread with crust
A tiny bit of Italian bread crumbs (about 3 Tsp.)
Fresh Parsley
Parmesan Cheese (parmigiano!)
Fresh Garlic - You can never have too much garlic!
Cooking Spray
Garlic Powder
Coarse Black Pepper and Salt
A splash of red wine
Sweet Basil
Don't forget to keep stirring the sauce every 3 minutes or so while you're making the Meatballs, and make sure it's not boiling. Ideal, you want the sauce at a point where it's almost boiling you'll have to check the temperature often. ~ This is Important!
OK, are you ready? Here we go.... Hang in there, we're almost done..
First...
Get a big bowl and put the 1 lb. of ground chuck in it. It's very important to have 1 lb. of ground chuck and not more or less. This recipe works best with 1 lb. of ground chuck.
Next...
Chop up 1/4 cup of fresh Parsley as fine as you can. Fresh Parsley is extremely important, the dried up stuff in a bottle is not Parsley, it's just green stuff they find on the ground at factories. Add the Parsley to the bowl. Don't mix anything yet. You're going to add all this stuff and mix when your done.
Next...
Add (1) Egg to bowl.
Next...
Chop up (2) large cloves of garlic as fine as you possibly can and add to bowl.
Next...
Add 1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese to the bowl.
*** Don't forget to keep stirring the sauce every 3 minutes or so while you're making the Meat Balls ~ This is Important!
Next...
Take your (1-1/2) pieces of Dark Wheat Bread and rub it under the faucet and get it soaking wet. Then squeeze as much of the water as you can out of the bread. The bread should be a gooey consistency. What I call Meat Ball Glue, very important. Break the bread up into the bowl. At this point you need to also add about (3) Tsp. of Italian bread crumbs.
Next...
Add coarse black pepper, salt, garlic powder, a splash of red wine and about a tsp. of Sweet Basil.
*** Don't forget to keep stirring the sauce every 3 minutes or so while you're making the Meat Balls ~ This is Important!
OK, Lets get your hands dirty.
Mix all the ingredients in the bowl well. You will need to work the meat for about 3 minutes until you end up with a big relatively firm ball. Note: it will help if you refrigerate the meat before mixing it in the bowl, this will help keep the balls firm while you browning them.
Next...
Get a good Non-Stick frying pan and spray on some cooking spray. Take the meat and make 1" to 1-1/2" balls. Roll them around in your hand and try to make them as firm as possible. You might want to start out with 1" balls the first time you make them. 1" balls are easier to handle. What I mean is they don't fall apart as easy. Also what I use is two flat wooden spoons to roll the balls around while browning. Important note: The meatballs will not be perfectly round when your done searing them, you may have some odd shape balls, but don't worry about it, you're more concerned about the taste. :-)
Next...
Get the pan very hot, heat should be on medium high to high, you will probably add a lot of smoke to your house at this point, if you are not getting a LOT of smoke from the browning Meatballs, you don't have the heat high enough. You want to sear the meat to a dark brown. Be careful with the balls at first you don't want them to fall apart. They should be cooked to a point where you can roll them around the pan and have them appear to be firm.
*** Important Note: Did you put the (2) Tsp's of sugar into the sauce like you where directed just prior to making the Meatballs? If not, do it now! This is an important step.
Next...
When they appear to be seared well and firm take them right from the frying pan into the sauce. Grease is an important ingredient to the flavor of the sauce. (If you're worried about cholesterol and fat then don't eat Italian food. :-)... For the exact timing as to when the meatballs go into the sauce, refer to the Sauce Tips page for more details.
OK, Stay with me now...
Italian Sausage!!! Did I mention the Italian sausage yet? This is not a must, but definitely adds flavour to the sauce! If you want to add sausage to the sauce, click here for directions and photos of the process :-) If you choose not to add the sausage, I do recommend throwing in about 1/2 tsp. of Fennel Seeds.
*** Don't forget to keep stirring the sauce every 3 minutes or so while you're making the Meat Balls ~ This is Important! *** From this point on when you stir the sauce, stir gently, remember that you have meatballs and braciole in the sauce now and you don't want to break them up when their cooking in the sauce. Be nice to the meat!
Next...
Now you should have your chops and the balls (and the braciole and sausage, if you're making it) in the sauce and the heat should be at medium low.
Once the Pork Chops, Meatballs and/or Braciole and sausage are in the sauce, be sure to stir gently while they're cooking, you don't want the meatballs or braciole to fall apart.
After all the meat is added to the sauce, cover the sauce pan and continue to heat the sauce at medium for another 30 minutes, a little boiling is OK. Important Note: At this point it is important to keep lifting the cover to make sure the sauce is not boiling to much, also stir the sauce occasionally while cooking with the cover on. Important Grandmom Tip: At this point in the process you may start to see little puddles of grease forming at the top of the sauce. What you want to do, is get a coffee mug and a table spoon, carefully dip the table spoon into the top surface of the sauce where you see the grease puddles and scoop out as much as the grease/oil as you can into the coffee mug. You may have to do this several times throughout the whole cooking process. You can throw out the grease later.
OK, now taste the sauce... Oh that's a good!!!! Important Tip: This is where you would add more spices to your liking. Sometimes at this point, I might add a little bit more oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. But you taste it and see for yourself. It may be just right at this point in regards to taste, but your not done cooking it yet!!!.
Now heat on low-med heat for another 1 to 1-1/2 hours or so uncovered. The timing on this varies, you need to check it after about on hour for consistency. What you want to avoid is having a watery sauce, so cook it long enough for the sauce to get thick, the more you cook the more tender the meat gets anyway :-) Be sure to stir occasionally during this time, a little boiling is OK. Occasionally = every 5 - 10 minutes ~ this is REALLY important! Be sure to check for grease/oil puddles each time before you stir and remove all you can. If you don't stir you burn the sauce, if you burn the sauce, well, then the outcome could get ugly! Your reputation as a good cook could go right down the drain... Here is another little tip, after cooking this lovely sauce for about an hour I always take out one meatball. Put it on a small plate, pour some sauce over it and sample the meatball.
Tip: The sauce gets a much better flavor if you finish your sauce a couple hours before your going to eat. When you finish the sauce, just turn off the burner and let it sit on the stove covered. Let the sauce sit for about 1 to 2 hours. When you're ready to eat, just heat the sauce back up again for about ten minutes, just to get it hot, then serve.
When you're ready to serve, take out the Meatballs, Pork Chops and/or Braciole and sausage and put them into a nice bowl to serve out of. Make sure you carefully remove all the string from the Braciole before serving. You will need a nice pair of sharp scissors fro this.
Also, you should put a nice large serving bowl of sauce on the table for people to add to their plate after they have scooped up everything they want on their plate. You've worked hard on the sauce and you want them to enjoy it.. :-)
Yields approximately 12 balls.
That's it you're done........ Easy as Pie.
Note: To help you with the whole process of Italian cooking, you may want to pick up some nice Italian red wine :-) This is the place to get some great Italian red's:-> wine.com
Try this: Next time you are making Meatballs, try cooking them in a nice Stainless Steel Cookware pan for the best results and most deliciouse meatballs. I can't stress enough, how important a good pan is when you are browning the meatballs! Be sure you have a nice thick bottom on the pan.
Anthony's Braciole (Bree-Zshole) Yet another extremely important part (but not a requirement) of this recipe for overall flavor, adds a lot to the sauce
OK, Here is the stuff you will need for the Braciole:
1-1/2 lbs "Round Steak" or "London Broil"
1/2 - 3/4 cup bread crumbs (preferably "Progresso")
1/2 - 3/4 Fresh Parsley
1/4 - 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (fresh grated recommended)
(4) cloves Fresh Garlic - You can never have to much garlic...:-)
Coarse Black Pepper and Salt
Salt Pork tastey friend crunchy bits :-) Just in case you have decided to brave the Salt Pork, this is where you would add the fried salt pork bits. You can see the process here.
Very Important Tip. When frying the Braciole you MUST have a very good Non-Stick pan. Believe me, this helps!
First of all...
When you go to your local grocery store to get the "Round Steak" or "London Broil" (they are basically the same thing) you will need to ask the butcher to slice the meat up into 1/4" thin pieces. (You will pound these out to be about 1/8" thick)
Take the meat slices and lay them out on wax paper. Now pound the heck out of them, you need a meat pounder for this part. You might want to make sure there are no babies sleeping while you do this. The pieces will end up larger when you're done pounding and you may have to cut them in half and do some trimming.
You want to have pieces that are approximately 7"x4" and relatively rectangular in shape, sometimes when they slice the meat you may get some slices that come to a point, you will have to cut those ends off, it becomes a problem when you start to roll the meat up if one edge is a lot smaller than the other. (Did that make sense to you?? When I get time I might add some pictures to help aid you through this whole sauce making process)
Anyway, now that you have your 7"x4" rectangular slices of meat sitting on your counter, staring at you, waiting for some Italian influence... what you want to do is chop up some nice fresh parsley, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup, grate some fresh Parmesan cheese, about 1/4 cup, and chop up 3 cloves of garlic as fine as you can.
Next...
Sprinkle on the meat, finely chopped fresh garlic (spread out the garlic with your fingers and try to press the garlic into the meat), some bread crumbs, fresh parsley and fresh Parmesan cheese, then add a dash of salt and coarse black pepper. Make sure it's evenly spread out on the meat. (I sometimes throw in a little basil as well) OK, now you're ready to roll up the meat...
Roll up the meat as tight as you can and tie it up with some very strong thread (we call this Italian dental floss). You will need about three pieces of string for each piece. You want to tie it well enough to hold it all together. Make sure to leave long pieces of string hanging off the knot you make so you can find the string after cooking it. If you don't have strong thread, it will fall apart during the searing process. I recommend you use cooking string, (also called butchers twine) to roll up your Braciole.
OK, now that you have all your meat rolled up, tied up and ready to go, let's put the meat in the very hot pan. You want to brown/seer the meat and then put them in the sauce. Please be gentle stirring the sauce from this point on. You should try to get these into the sauce just prior to putting in the meatballs.
This recipe should yield approximately 7 to 10 Braciole Rolls. This is important to note. If you have more than 10 people you are serving your going to have a problem! Everyone is going to want one of these things!!
This part of the recipe will take practice. You will have to make the Braciole several times before you get it just right. You'll have to play around with the amount of ingredients to add to the meat and the size of the roll. You don't want the rolls too thick or you will have to cook you're sauce longer.
Now make your favorite Pasta and Mangiarlo tutto!!! (Eat it all)
May I suggest a nice Italian Red Wine to go with this wonderful meal? Yes? Ok, I suggest these two Italian red wines: Venturini Amarone della Valpolicella or Ruffino Riserva Ducale' Chianti Classico - you can purchase these lovely Italian Red Wines at this great Italian Food site: A.G. Ferrari Foods Online Food Store
May I suggest listening to some good Italian music while you're cooking, it really helps you get in the mood for good Italian food! I recommend: Italian Gold: Treasured Collection you can hear a sampling of the original Vinyl LP version of this cd here. This was my grandma's copy :)
Now for the perfect Italian desert cookie to eat after this nice meal - Peseta Bars or this Italian family classic: Anisette Cookes!!!
*** This is my family recipe which has been passed down through generations. Special credits go to Grandma Rose, Grandma Anna and my Mama... I've watched them all VERY closely when they made their sauce on many occasions, so this recipe is a culmination of spaghetti sauce styles from two grandmas and one mom and my own special minor revisions ;)
For some more helpful instructions, check out the sauce cooking tips below: (I highly recommend you read through all these recipe tips prior to tackling the pasta sauce!)
Welcome to my kitchen, let's cook!!!! Live Life, Eat Good, Make Friends! ~8-) Anthony
Oh man! You gotta try this!
Hmm, it's so good! Here, grab a seat,
let me make you a nice-a plate
of Spaghetti, you'll like it!
As my grandma used to always say...
