Don't we all sometimes wish we were Italian? Is it the romantic language, or the pasta, or the lingering over dinner with another glass of wine and the laughter of friends? When I think of Italian cooking, I think of fresh, simple ingredients given the proper platform to shine. That is how I would describe spaghetti and meatballs with marina sauce: loved by all, it is the ultimate comfort food. It is worth the extra effort to make something this simple, really good. Here is my version of this Italian/American classic. If you like, you can skip the meatballs and just make the sauce. It is a great basic marina and can be served over many types of pastas. If this batch makes more than your family can eat in one setting, feel free to freeze the extra sauce. Some evening, when time is short, you will be so happy you have that sauce in the freezer! And if you find you have unexpected guests to squeeze around your table, it won't hurt my feelings if you add a jar of good, purchased marina to this recipe, to stretch it a little further. I promise I won't tell.

Meatballs

1 1/3 lb. ground beef (I use 85/15 ground round)

2/3 lb. ground pork (I use 3 links of Italian sausage, with the casings removed)

3 extra large eggs

1/2 c. whole milk

1/2 c. bread crumbs

1/2 c. finely grated parmesan cheese

1/4 c. coarsely chopped flat leaf Italian parsley

1/2 of a medium sized onion, finely chopped

2 tsp. salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

About the meat: traditionally, meatballs are made with equal parts of beef, veal and pork. I prefer the above proportions of beef and pork, without the veal. You can certainly use some of all three meats, to equal 2 pounds, or just use 2 pounds of ground beef only. 

Combine the eggs and milk in a large bowl and beat with a fork. Add bread crumbs, meats, parmesan cheese, parsley, onion, salt, and pepper. Gently mix the ingredients, just to combine; this is best done with your hands (clean, of course). Do not overmix as this toughens the meatballs. To form the balls, I use a small ice cream scoop. You can make any size balls that you prefer, but I like ones that are just larger than golf ball size. Wet your hands under running water, but don't dry them. Scoop a heaping spoon full of the meat mixture and gently form into a ball. The wet fingers help so the meat does not cling to your hands. This recipe makes about 3 dozen meatballs. Place the rolled balls on a tray. Preheat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Drizzle in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and gently add half of the meatballs to brown. Every few minutes, turn the balls to another side to brown, for a total of about 6 minutes. You want the meatballs browned on all sides, but not cooked through. They will finish cooking in the sauce. Remove them to a large tray lined with paper towels and repeat with the remaining meatballs.

Marina Sauce

3  28 oz. cans San Marzano tomatoes 

6 oz. can tomato paste

2 stalks celery, leaves and all

1 large carrot

1/2 onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 c. olive oil

1 Tbsp. salt

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 dried bay leaf

fresh basil 

freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a large pot, heat the 1/2 cup olive oil over medium heat. Pulse the celery, carrot, onion and garlic in the food processor until it is finely minced. Pour this mixture into the heated olive oil and stir and cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the salt, pepper flakes, and oregano. Puree the canned tomatoes in the food processor and add to the vegetable mixture. Stir in the tomato paste and bay leaf. If you have an extra rind from the parmesan cheese, throw that in as well. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered on the lowest heat setting for 30 minutes. Gently slide the meatballs into the pot of sauce, cover and simmer for another 30 minutes, being careful when you stir the sauce that you don't cut into the meatballs. Be sure to remove the bay leaf and parmesan cheese rind before serving.

To assemble, cook 1 1/2 lb. dry spaghetti according to the package directions, using the least amount of time recommended.  Drain the spaghetti and gently toss in the pot with the sauce and meatballs. Serve each person a generous helping and garnish with freshly torn basil leaves and parmesan cheese. This makes 8 large servings.