Mema's Spaghetti and Meatballs and variations

This is probably the family favorite, and a great crowd pleaser. You can make as much or as little as you want depending on if you have a big enough pot.

I made it for the first time in college for a gang of friends, and although I thought for sure I would mess it up, once I got started on it, it felt like I had been cooking it for my entire life. Of course, it wouldn't have been worth serving without Mema's stamp of approval. I waited and watched anxiously as she walked in, stirred the pot, smelled, and then took the traditional slurp. To my great relief, she said I had it right.

Over the years, I have added a few ingredients to play with the flavor a little. Below I have the original and my variations. Currently, I'm attempting to use fresh tomatoes, we'll see how that turns out!

Meatballs
1 lb ground chuck
½ tsp garlic powder
½ cup Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
¼ cup parmesan (could use the powder kind, but try freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano)
1 tsp salt
Parsley (could use dry or fresh Italian flat leaf)

Directions
- Mix all ingredients together and form meat into 1 inch balls
- To make ahead: brown in heated skillet prepped with cooking spray or small amount of olive oil
- To make with sauce: drop raw meatballs directly into sauce and let simmer until cooked all the way through

Sauce
(original ingredients)
15 oz can diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes peeled* and diced)
15 oz tomato sauce
6 oz can paste
1 sauce can and 1 paste can of chicken broth
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp basil
1 tsp sea salt or kosher
1 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp sugar
Pepper to taste


Directions
· In a large pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.
· Reduce heat and let simmer for about 1 hour – until sauce thickens.
· If cooking meatballs in sauce, add after bringing to a boil.
· Be sure to taste the sauce after it boils and adjust seasonings to taste.

Variation
Use all of the above ingredients and…
Olive oil
1 small yellow onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 carrot peeled and finely chopped
1 celery stalk finely chopped
2 tbls Fresh Italian leaf parsley
3 cloves garlic minced
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp marjoram
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf

Directions
· In a large pot heat 2 tbls olive oil.
· Sauté garlic and onion until onion is translucent.
· Add carrot and celery with salt and pepper and sauté until tender (about 10 minutes)
· Add the rest of the ingredients (including those from the original recipe!) to the pot and simmer uncovered until sauce thickens.
· Discard bay leaf before serving

*To peel fresh tomatoes
· Cut the stem off of each tomato in a “v” shape (this will allow the skins to “slip” off later”
· Bring a large pot of water to boil and prepare a bowl of cold water and ice
· Using a slotted spoon, drop tomatoes into boiling water and let them boil until skins begin to look bubbly and loose
· Using the slotted spoon remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and drop them into the cold water bath to stop the cooking process and to cool tomatoes quickly
· Skins should just slip off at this point
· For the sauce, slice tomatoes into 1 inch pieces