We love good comfort food. As November begins you’ll find me pulling out my various three ring binders that I have put together over the years and making menus from tried and true recipes my family loves. Mr. T”s most favorite is spaghetti & meatballs. This recipe was lovingly shared with me by my dearest friend, Chris Paleschic. Her mother, who we fondly refer to as Mima, happened to be one the most outstanding cooks I have ever been honored to know. If Mima made it, you knew you were in for a treat. In October of 2009 Mima lost her battle with cancer, but her legacy lives on through the enormous book of recipes she made to give to each of her three daughters. This recipe is actually called “Gravy Meatball and Sausage Sauce”. I always freeze half of the sauce, no meat, to use for stuffed shells, lasagna or chicken parmesan later. When I begin cooking the meatballs, then saute the onions it fills our home with a heavenly aroma and I always feel close to Chris’ mom. I hope you’ll try this and enjoy it as much as we do. It’s pure and simple, just like everything Mima so lovingly prepared.
Mima’s Gravy Meatball and Sausage Sauce
Chopped Green Salad with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette
Garlic Bread
Fresh Berries with Zabaliogne
Grenache
Mima’s Gravy Meatball and Sausage Sauce
I make my meatballs by mixing ground meatloaf mix and ground sweet Italian sausage. In the original recipe, Mima made her meatballs out of just ground meat, with Italian sausages cut in half and pieces of round steak that were all browned in the olive oil. Either way, it’s delicious!
Meatballs:
1 pound meatloaf mix
1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
4 eggs
1 teaspoon parsley leaves
2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¾ cup plain bread crumbs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Mix ingredients except for the oil and form 1 inch meatballs. Brown the meatballs in the oil which you have placed in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain the meatballs on paper towels and set aside. Do not clean the skillet yet, you’ll want the drippings to use for the following sauce.
Gravy:
1 large chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 six ounce cans of tomato paste, with equal amounts of water
1 28 ounce can of good Italian plum tomatoes with puree with an equal amount of water sea salt and ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup parmesan or romano cheese
Lightly brown onion in the drippings leftover from the meatballs. When the onions are just transparent add the garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Put the tomato products and water into a large pot along with the seasonings, not the cheese yet. Stir this mixture well and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally. Add the cheese and stir to mix. Serve over your choice of pasta.
Chopped Green Salad with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette
1 head radicchio
1 head romaine
1 head escarole
1 head red leaf lettuce
Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
sea salt and pepper to taste
I usually tear the salad greens instead of chopping them. Everyone has their own way of doing things and it all works! To make the dressing simply whisk the olive oil and vinegar together then add the remaining ingredients and mix well. You can also add some bits of crisp croutons if you wish as well as chopped black olives if you desire.
Garlic Bread
1 loaf Italian bread
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
Cut the loaf of bread in half, lengthwise. Mix the butter and garlic together and spread on top of both sides of the bread. Place under a hot broiler for a couple of minutes, until the bread is just beginning to brown. Remove and cut into 1 inch slices and top with chopped parsley.
Fresh Berries with Zabaliogne
I love Zabaliogne sauce. If I’m making a French meal I whisk champagne into the sauce, but if it’s Italian, it’s got to be Marsala wine. So nutty and delicious over a mixture of fresh berries!
1 box organic strawberries, stems removed and berries quartered
1 box organic blueberries
1 box organic raspberries
1 box organic blackberries
Zabaliogne Sauce:
5 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dry or sweet Marsala wine
1 cup heavy cream, whipped until stiff
Heat water in the bottom of a double boiler, about two inches worth. You do not want the bottom of the top pot to be touched by the water or the eggs will scramble. When you have a nice low simmer, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in the top potand place it over the base. Slowly whisk the Marsala into the egg and sugar mixture. Continue whisking for about 10 minutes or until the mixture triples in volume. Be sure the temperature of the water does not exceed 140 degrees.
Place the berries in a bowl and toss to mix. In individual serving bowls or glasses spoon the berries and top with the sauce. You can serve this with a bit of crisp biscotti if you wish. Simple and so delicious!
3 Responses
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Chris Paleschic Says:
Thank you, Melissa for this wonderful tribute to my mother. She would have been so honored to be featured in your blog with her sauce recipe.
She always said there were a few secrets to making the meatballs. First is not over mix the raw meat mixture as that makes the meatballs dense. The same applied to meatloaf. Second is just browning each side of the meatball but leaving the middle completely raw inside. Reason being is that they’ll cook while in the sauce and this avoids it being overdone. The meatballs will float in the sauce which means they’ll be light and fluffy!!
Words can’t describe the taste. Hands down, you can pick it out in a blindfolded taste test. Every time I make this, my family and I always feel Mima’s love and are reminded of her and her love for cooking.
Thank you again for featuring her recipe. She was so fond of you and I know she is smiling with pride!!
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Melissa Says:
I feel her smiling too….thanks for sharing a couple of “secrets”.
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recipe Says:
I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good.
I do not know who you are but definitely you are going to a famous
blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!
