To me, nothing says home more than a pot of spaghetti and meatballs simmering on the stove on a cool Sunday afternoon.  I like to start this sauce early and cook it on low for three to four hours to let the smell of garlic, tomatoes, basil and oregano filter through the house.  Trust me, the smell coming from your kitchen will ensure you won’t have to track down your family for dinner. It may even help you meet your neighbors.

Serves: 4

Meatballs:

I always start this sauce by first prepping the meatballs. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then gather the following to prepare the meatballs:

• 1 lb ground Italian sausage (I like to use hot, but you can use mild if you wish)
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced fine
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 slices Italian bread (soak this in some milk squeezing the excess off and then tear into small pieces)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoon fresh chopped Italian parsley
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• Olive oil to drizzle

Mix all ingredients (except olive oil) , using your hands its more fun that way! Once everything is mixed Roll the mixture into approx. 20 meatballs. Place these meatballs in a baking dish and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cook in oven just until browned, they will finish cooking in the sauce.

Sauce:

While the meatballs are cooking, start your sauce. For the sauce you will need:

• 1/2 onion diced (Just use the other half of the onion you used for the meatballs)
• 6 garlic cloves (dice 3 cloves and slice the other 3 into thin slivers, it’ll make more sense in a minute)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of your pan
• 1/2 cup Chianti
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes (I prefer to use San Marzano tomatoes but
  they can be hard to find and also pretty expensive. Although I think
  its best to try this with San Marzano tomatoes at least once, you can use any type of diced tomato)
• 1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon Allspice

In a large pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced garlic and onions to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the mushrooms. When the mushrooms are soft and the onions are translucent add the Chianti. Allow to cook for five minutes and make sure you scrape up all the little bits of goodness that are on the bottom of the pan. Next add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, allspice, salt and pepper and slivers of garlic. The slivers will dissolve in the sauce as it cooks, leaving only the sweet flavor of garlic behind.

Once the meatballs are done add them to the sauce being careful not to splash the sauce. ( I have been known to do that from time to time and although it makes the dog rather happy, my husband doesn’t like it too much). Cover and cook the sauce for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Uncover for the last 30 minutes to ensure that the sauce thickens.

Now this sauce can cook for any length of time. I say 3 hours because it lets all the flavors come together. But I’ve cooked it using about 2 hours and I’ve also cooked it over 6 hours. Whichever you choose, start your noodles shortly before you are ready to eat. You may notice the noodles in the picture look a little different, well I accidentally bought Spaghetti Rigati, but let me tell you those little creases in the pasta help hold all of the sauce.

Serve this with garlic bread and salad. Don’t forget the Chianti. Buon Appetito!