Sunday Sauce
Sunday Sauce, aka meatballs and pasta, rounds out the top 3 of Dinner Party-worthy pasta dishes (behind Rob’s Great Bolognese and Best Cheesy Lasagne, of course). This recipe was inspired by the Italian-American family tradition of meatballs on a Sunday - and more specifically, Nicole’s family and their secret recipe (which I of course have not been made privy to.... yet).
The ribs/ belly/ sausage help to add some flavor to the sauce but are not critical. Sub dried oregano (2 tablespoons) for fresh too.
Serves 6
What you need
Chopping board. Knife. Large prep bowl. Large pot. Large skillet.
What’s in it
Sauce
EVOO
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves picked
3 cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup chicken stock
2-3 pork spare ribs, slice of pork belly or Italian sausage
Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup ricotta (no really)
1 (big) handful grated parm
1 egg
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
5 sprigs oregano, chopped
For serving
Ricotta (straight from the tub)
Parm, grated
What you do with it
Thinly slice the garlic. Place pot on medium heat. Add two tablespoons EVOO. Thirty seconds later add the garlic. Fry for one minute, then add the red pepper and oregano. Fry for a further minute.
Open the cans of tomatoes and carefully crush the tomatoes in your hands and drop into the pot. Wash out the cans with water and add that too, along with the stock, salt, sugar and a generous crack of pepper, and of course your piece of pork.
Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer, stirring occasionally. For every additional hour you cook, add ½ cup of water.
Combine all of the meatball ingredients in the prep bowl. Use your hands to mix it all together, and then form 15-20 squash sized balls.
Place the skillet on medium heat, and add EVOO. Once hot, add the meatballs, in 3 batches. Continually turn until they are evenly browned. 6-8 minutes for each batch. Remove each completed batch onto a paper-toweled plate.
Once you’ve completed all the batches, add all the meatballs back into the skillet. Turn the heat off the sauce and carefully pour the sauce over the meatballs. The sauce should mostly cover the meatballs. Feel free to top up with water or leftover stock to ensure the meatballs are fully covered.
Cook, covered, for 35-40 minutes. Taste and season, continue to cook if you have the time. Otherwise move briskly to the next step.
Rinse out the pot and fill half with water. Pot on high heat and bring to a boil. Add two teaspoons of salt, and your desired pasta. Follow the instructions to cook to al dente.
Serve the pasta with the sauce on top. And feel free to be aggressive with the ricotta and parm on top.
