Grampa's Famous Tomato Sauce with Oven-Baked Meatballs

Hello All!
 
   So what makes this plate of pasta with meatballs and sauce so much more desirable than any other plate of yumminess? It is the fact that it is an original recipe from my husband's late grandfather made with lots of TLC. Peter tells me how he used to watch his Grampa make and can this unique sauce as a child.

      I call this a "unique" sauce because it is the only one I know of where it is made with carrot. My husband tells me that, "It has to be orange to have that classic Grampa look, taste, and texture."

    So, you can imagine how nervous I was when I decided to make this recipe for the first time! My goal was to recreate that childhood memory for Peter's  birthday dinner and I wanted it to be perfect.

   Grampa's original recipe calls for pounds and large cans of ingredients (for canning a big batch). Since I only wanted a single batch for dinner and leftovers, I needed to bring it down to scale. Here is my condensed recipe:

Grampa's Famous Tomato Sauce:

1 can of plum tomatoes
1/4 cup water
3 diced, cooked carrots
1 diced, caramelized onion
1 can tomato paste
1 splash of olive oil
1 dash of salt
1 pinch of pepper

   Puree the tomatoes, carrots, and onions together in a blender. Heat the olive oil in a pot and add the tomato paste. Cook until the paste sizzles. Pour in the pureed tomato mixture and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes (stirring every 15 minutes and skimming foam from top after each time). Cover pot halfway through cooking time. Once sauce is finished add the salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.


          I can tell you now that Peter was so surprised and amazed at how it tasted just like he remembered. A complete meal success!

                                          *         *             *            *            *           *            *

   I discovered after making this meatball recipe that I actually do prefer them baked in the oven! It takes less time, and you don't have to worry about breaking or burning them in your sauce pot (not to mention I love the juicy flavor and golden crust much better!). 

 
Oven Baked Italian Meatballs:

4 slices of bread
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup grated permasean cheese
2 tbsp. dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1 dash of pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano

       Soak bread in water for 5 minutes. Add eggs with all other ingredients and mix well. Use hands to form meat mixture into medium-sized meatballs. Place meatballs on a sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 400* for 20 minutes (10 minutes per side).

*I have found that using vinyl food-prep gloves to mix and roll meatballs prevents sticking and mess.


      I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we do! I am so glad that I could share it with you.

~Michelle