Meatballs & Max

This past weekend my family was blessed with the opportunity to meet Max Holder Weber, the son of Kristen and Bruce. They let us come down to Florida with two 11 year olds and spend the weekend when Max was just  4 days old! Look at how gorgeous this baby is! He definitely takes after his mom! We had a great time and they got some good home cooking!

The first night we grilled strip steaks seasoned with a spicy dry rub. We sliced them and served them with baked potatoes and a salad with pears, stilton and balsamic vinaigrette. (Be sure to let the steaks sit covered with foil for 10 minutes before cutting so all the juices don't run out.) Here's a tip - if you slice the steaks and serve it family style, you will eat less. If you put a whole, thick juicy steak on your plate, you will eat it. But you will have no problem leaving steak on a serving platter and then you will have leftovers for delicious sandwiches and wraps the next day!

On Saturday I made the famous Prestia family meatballs and sauce. This recipe has been handed down for generations. I was given this recipe as a girlfriend to see if I could take care of the precious only son of Peggy Prestia. Once I succeeded, Jack decided that yes, indeed he could marry me. I have been using it ever since to get what I want! However, I must admit, Nonna's are better than mine... Don't know what that woman does differently.

Meatballs
3 lbs ground beef (I use a mixture of chuck and round for about 15% fat.)
1 lb ground pork
3 eggs
3/4 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
2 Tbs of fresh minced Italian parsley
1/4 cup finely grated, good quality parmesan (Do not use canned parm! Grate it yourself if need be.)
1 tsp minced garlic
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a big bowl but don't squish the meat. The texture will be better  if the meat is not pulverized but gently broken apart and mixed. Form into 1 1/2" balls. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes. You do not want to cook the meatballs all the way thru but simply brown them so that they won't fall apart in the sauce. Thankfully this makes A LOT of meatballs. I use 1/3 in my sauce and freeze the rest in 2 bags for easy sauce in the future.

Sauce
1 large can Muir Glen crushed tomatoes
1 large can Muir Glen whole or diced tomatoes
1 small can of Muir Glen tomato paste
1/2 large can of water
1 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper
1/3 recipe of meatballs
2 tsp minced fresh basil
1 T minced fresh Italian basil

In a large pot combine the first 6 ingredients. If you are using whole tomatoes, squish them in your hands to break up. Bring to a boil and taste for seasoning. Add the meatballs and bring back to a boil. Let simmer for 2 hours. Add the basil and parsley and let simmer for an additional 45 minutes.

This sauce keeps very well. You can, of course, eat it immediately. You can also let it cool off a little then stick the whole pot in the refrigerator to serve within the next two days. I have eaten leftovers a week later. It also freezes very well which makes it great to take for someone in need of a good meal. Jack loves for me to pull a jar from the freezer for a wonderful weekday night dinner!

Enjoy!