Sundays bake at a different degree here in Winkelman, Arizona than they do in any other place I have ever lived. Very few people work on Sundays here. Even the grocery store and bar are closed. The only time small town traffic is "heavy" is during the mid-morning when people travel to and from church. There is a restaurant in the next town over-- they will be open. They have a post-church little rush. But Sundays are a day that families and their friends still religiously congregate to worship not only The Lord, but also good food.
Sunday food is slow cooked and/or accompanies barbecued meat. For many around here, Menudo or tamales or pozole would be the Sunday food that first comes to mind. For me, it's lasagna or meatballs, pasta, good salad, something baked sweet. The smell of going home on Sunday is that of a house warm inside like a pot of tomatoes simmering with four different meats and Romano cheese.
Every Southern Italian family has their recipe for the "sauce" and the meatballs that make it the best. However, I've never known a family to disclose their recipe with specifics. There is something protected about it... a secret in the sauce. In my family, that secret is like a skeleton in the closet-- literally. The secret is bone-laden chicken parts. It's just not the same with out it.
I can't disclose all the specifics of my sauce and meatballs. I just can't. It wouldn't be the same anyways. But I will give you what you need as the base to create your own family recipe should you not have one.
SAUCE
Canned tomatoes: use only real Italian brand tomatoes: whole tomatoes, tomato purée, and paste.
Oil and Spice: extra virgin olive oil only, smashed garlic cloves, fresh ground pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano and basil.
The Skeleton: a whole chicken pieced and browned. A pigs foot. A beef neck bone or two.
MEATBALLS
Meat: equal parts ground veal, pork, and beef
Cheese: Romano has the best flavor but Parmesan will do. Fresh grated of course. And whole milk ricotta. I make my own but that will be the subject of a future post.
Fillers: a couple eggs. Bread crumbs but not a lot (they are MEATBALLS after all), lots of fresh chopped parsley. Garlic powder, salt. Fine pepper.
1 comment:
Tips: knead the meatballs like you would knead the dough of bread. Don't brown the meatballs-- you lose some of the flavor. I throw them directly in the sauce and don't stir them for the first two hours as they cook really low.
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