I have MANY... I'm a big fat guy in his 40s that grew up a latch key kid tasked with cooking family meals and worked in NJ Pizzerias in my youth as well as line cook and short order cook. I have 'guidelines' more than strict recipes but have recently been hounded for my tomato sauce & meatball recipe by a few people who have had it... so I took some notes as to my routine to share. Here it is, 2 friends have followed it and said it came out pretty close to mine.
-----------------------------
James's Tomato Sauce with Meatballs
-----------------------------
3 large cans mix of...
Redpack brand Crushed Tomatoes
Redpack brand Tomato Sauce
1 small can Contadina brand paste (Italian seasoned or plain)
Oregano, Basil, Thyme (about a each tbs... put in palm, rub with other hand into pot to release the oils)
Black Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper, Salt (about a tsp each)
Sweet and Hot Sausage links (one each for flavor... more if you prefer them to meatballs. I don't)
Pepperoni (about 2-3 inch long piece of a stick cut into 6-8 long skinny pieces... or handful of presliced)
1/2 Medium Onion finely diced
3-4 Garlic cloves minced (or pressed or jarred equivalant)
couple tbs Oil (Olive or whatever cooking oil)
------
in BIG pot on medium high put oil, pepperoni, and sausage until sausage is slightly browned on both sides, poke holes with fork to release the flavor into the sauce.
add diced onion and stir until translucent
add minced garlic, spices other than salt stir briefly and dump 3 cans of tomatoes before garlic can burn (I make sure the cans are open before starting the oil)
bring to boil
add can of paste reduce to low.
---Meatballs---
1.5-2lbs chopmeat
Italian seasoned Breadcrumbs (enough to cover meat in bowl, 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard tubed can)
fresh bread cut/ripped into small pieces after removing the crusts (1/2 loaf white sandwich bread or one round bakery loaf)
3 eggs
3/4 to 1 cup Parmasian / Romano cheese
about 1tbs Black Pepper & 1tsp salt
------
Mix up meatballs, roll them into oversized golfball size and drop into hot pot of sauce as you go.
Keep pot covered with a crocked lid to allow for some moisture to evaporate, stiring every so often (carefully until meatballs set), cook for 3 or 4 hours until meatballs are cooked through.
In last hour, add a hunk of butter (2 tbs) and then salt to taste.
-----------------------------
Serve with your favorite pasta, make meatball parm subs with the leftovers, use it for homemade pizzas, use it for eggplant or chicken parm... just your average tomato sauce and it tastes better the second and third time you reheat it
(or Gravy if you prefer... I grew up having it called sauce and had that confirmed by a couple of the 'from Italy' Pizzeria owners I was employed by. My Italian mother-in-law claims it is gravy... and that it is macaroni NOT pasta too
)
