Aabidah has been busy all day and has not gotten around with writing her pasta sauce recipe. so you get stuck with mine. It does taste similar to hers, I just make a bigger mess making it.
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 cup very fine bread or cracker crumbs
Assorted spices including but not limited to:
salt
black pepper
Red pepper flakes (Pizza Pepper)
oregano
basil
thyme
fennel
anise seed
coriander
celery seed
Coarse chopped veggies, pieces should be about the size of a small button mushroom:
Roma tomatoes
onions
bellpepper
mushrooms
celery
more muchrooms
fresh chopped garlic maybe even a few whole cloves also
Fresh shredded cheese preferably a mixture of mozzerella, romano, Parmesan
2 cans tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato juice
1/2 cup white vineger
1/4 cup fresh red grape juice, or fresh made from concentrate, although in a pinch the bottled welch's will work
juice of 1/2 half lemon
sprig of tarrogan
Utensials
jar or bottle
small mixing bowl
large mixing bowl
large frying (saute0 pan
large sauce pan (at least 3 quart
Olive oil
Step one
throw the vinegar, grape juice lemon juice and tarragon sprig in the jar or bottle, put it in the refrigerator.
Step 2 mix equal amounts of all the spices in the small mixing bowl, set aside, but in reach, you will be reaching into it often
Step 4
put the bread or cracker crumbs in the large mixing bowl, mix in a handful of the spices add the ground beef or turkey, if using turkey add a spoon of olive oil. At least a teaspoon, but no more then a tablespoon
Mix well ad a small amount of tomato juice and a handful of the shredded cheese. Mix again. Shape into small meatball, no bigger then a golf ball but at least the size of a large marble.
Step 5
heat up about 1/4 inch of olive oil in the large sauce pan. Add in the meat ball and try to keep them as just one layer on the bottom of the pan. when they start to brown turn the heat way down and cover.
Step 6
add a small amount of olive oil in the saute pan. When hot throw in all of the veggies except the onions, tomatoes and mushrooms.
Saute until the celery is soft. Add the onions saute just until the onions become translucent reduce the heat add the tomatoes, cover and cook until the tomatoes get a little mushy. Add a good size handfull of the spice mixture, mix and pour in the big sauce pan that you were cooking the meatballs in.
add the vinegar mixture from the fridge, add the tomato sauce and paste add enough tomato juice to cover the veggies, add enough water to cover them if you run out of juice. throw the mushrooms on top.
cover and cook gently until it comes to a boil, stirring occasionaly, taste and throw in more of the spices if needed
It is done, serve over your favorite pasta.