Rosie’s That’s a Good Meatball

Man… Rosie’s spaghetti and meatballs? That’s the kind of food that makes everything feel okay for a little while. The sauce is rich and homemade…you can tell somebody actually cared when they made it. Not too fancy, not trying too hard… just perfect. And these meatballs? Forget about it. Big, tender, packed with flavor. Like…if a hug became food. Mmm. You know what this tastes like? Family. Like sittin’ in somebody’s kitchen while music’s playing and everybody’s yelling over each other, but in a good way. It’s messy, it’s comforting, and honestly? If somebody made this for me after a bad day, I’d probably fall in love with them a little. Actually… a lot.

Ingredients

Serves four

1 lb hamburger
1/2 cup parsley
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbs olive oil
1 large onion
6 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 6 oz can tomato paste
6 oz red wine
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 28 oz cans of kitchen ready tomatoes
6-8 basil leaves
1/2 stick of pepperoni
1 lb spaghetti
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese (for garnish)

Directions

Pre heat your oven to 375 degrees.
In a food processor, add the breadcrumbs, parsley, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Pulse to combine.
In a large bowl, add the hamburger and season with salt and pepper. Add the breadcrumb mixture, eggs, and milk. Hand mix the ingredients to combine and shape into 8 even sized balls. Place the balls on a baking sheet and rub with olive oil. Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes, turning the meatballs every 6-7 minutes. Remove meatballs from the baking sheet and reserve any fat or fond from the baking sheet. Lower the oven to 275 degrees F.
In a large stock pot over medium heat, add the reserved meatball drippings and olive oil. Slice the onions and add to the pot, season with salt and pepper. Cook onions until they become translucent. Slice the garlic and add to the onions with the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes, saute 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix into the garlic and onions, cook an additional 5 minutes for fond to build on the bottom of the pot. Deglaze the pot with the red wine. Using an emersion, or standard, blender, puree the mixture and add the kitchen ready tomatoes and meatballs. Slice 1/4 inch slits the pepperoni stick 3/4 of the way through and then slice stick into four equal size pieces, add to the sauce. Bake sauce for three hours stirring gently every half hour, remove from oven and adjust for seasoning.
Prepare spaghetti in heavily salted water. Remove spaghetti from water and drain, return to pot and stir in 1 cup of the tomato sauce.
Plate spaghetti with 2 meatballs and piece of pepperoni, top with additional tomato sauce and garnish with Parmesan and Romano cheeses.
Serve.