Tuesday, October 04, 2011

My Super Simple TNT Meatballs and Tomato Sauce

I served this on Rosh Hashannah, after it had been frozen for a short while. It was a great success. Our guest loved it.

Very Easy Homemade Tomato Sauce
  • tomato paste or concentrate
  • cut up onion
  • garlic either fresh or whatever's in the closet/pantry
  • oregano
  • oil, any type (I've always cooked with plain ordinary Israeli soy oil except on Passover, when I use olive oil)
  • boiling water
Now:
  • put water up to boil
  • start sautéing the onion (and fresh garlic) add tomato paste and some boiling water to get the right sauce consistency add the oregano (and dried garlic powder)
  • let it simmer for a few minutes
Yes, that's it! If you want you can add salt, but I don't. You can also add other vegetables, like mushrooms, carrots, celery. Whatever you want. This is the basis for meatballs and all sorts of foods you want to serve with tomato sauce. It's really so simple to make. I don't understand why people buy the ready-made.

The Meatballs
While the tomato sauce is cooking up I make the meatballs, usually out of ground turkey.  You can use ground beef, chicken or any combination --and if you want something totally different, "Italian Geffilte Fish," use ground fish instead--
  • about a pound (500 grams)
  • an egg,
  • a diced onion,
  • spices, garlic, oragano etc.
  • matza meal (you can use bread crumbs or flour or nothing)
And then take a large pot:
  • Mix it until it is evenly distributed
  • By then the sauce should be boiling
  • "Double-spoon" (for health reasons I avoid touching raw meat whenever possible) drop the "balls" into the sauce.
  • Then lower the flame to simmer and let it all cook for about an hour.
It can be multiplied, and it freezes really well.

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