See Also: Appetizers · Beef Dishes · Cooking Club · Main Dishes · Pasta
Meatballs in Prosciutto Tomato Sauce with Pasta
From Dorothy McNett's recipes at www.dorothymcnett.com. Serve with freshly made spaghetti or other pasta shapes, and plenty of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
for the tomato sauce: (Quick and easy version!)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
3-4 slices prosciutto, cut into small strips
2 cups roughly diced fresh tomatoes (or use 1 box Pomi tomatoes)
2 tablespoon red wine (Chianti, of course!)
2-3 sprigs fresh parsley, finely snipped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or fresh)
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
for the meatballs:
1 onion (medium) finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
2-3 sprigs fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup fine bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
fresh or dried oregano, about 1/2 teaspoon if dried
olive oil to coat bottom of saute pan
to serve: Gently pour over and around a platter of freshly cooked spaghetti and generoulsy top with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
For the Tomato Sauce: Combine oil, garlic, onion and prosciutto in batter bowl. Cook in microwave 2 minutes. Add remaining sauce ingredients and cook 2 minutes. Stir. Cook another 3-4 minutes. Set aside while you make the meatballs. (Or, heat a heavy bottomed saute pan, add oil, garlic, onion and prosciutto. Cook and stir several minutes. Add remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook about 10-15 minutes. Set aside.)
For the Meatballs: Combine all ingredients except for the olive oil. Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed large saute pan. Shape mixture into 2 inch balls, using a meat baller if desired. Cook gently, turning often, in the saute pan adding more oil if needed to keep them from sticking and to keep them nicely shaped. Cook until done and nicely browned on all sides. Add meatballs to the tomato sauce. In meantime, cook spaghetti and enjoy a glass of Chianti.
Recipe created 2004-09-12.
