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1
Coat a large saucepan with olive oil and add the pancetta; bring to medium heat and cook the pancetta for 6 to 8 minutes.
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2
Add the onions and red pepper and season generously with salt; cook until the onions are soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes.
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3
Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
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4
Add the tomatoes to the pot along with 2 cups of water, adding up to another cup as needed for consistency during the cooking process.
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5
Season generously with salt and taste the sauce.
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6
Tomatoes need a lot of salt to bring out their best flavor, so dont be shy here.
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7
Cook the sauce for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently.
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8
Youll probably need to reseason along the waythats just how this sauce rolls.
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9
Use the sauce right away or let it cool and store in the refrigerator for a few days; it also freezes really well.
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10
Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions, and bring to medium-high heat.
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11
Season the onions generously with salt and cook until soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes.
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12
Add the garlic and red pepper and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes; turn off the heat and let everything cool.
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13
In a large bowl combine the beef, veal, pork, eggs, Parmigiano, parsley, and bread crumbs and season with salt.
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14
Using your hands, squish the mixture well to combine.
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15
Add the onions and about 1/2 cup water.
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16
Squish, squish, and squish until everything is well combinedthe mixture should be quite wet.
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17
To check your seasoning, make a 1- to 2-inch tester patty out of the mix; bring a small saute pan to medium-high heat, add a bit of olive oil, and cook the patty until its done.
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18
Taste it to make sure the seasoning is on the money (its a travesty to have an underseasoned ball, so dont skip this step!
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19
).
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20
Preheat the oven to 350F.
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21
Using damp hands, shape the meat into balls, whatever size you likesome people like big balls, some people like small balls.
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22
I like them a little bigger than a golf ball.
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23
Put the meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake them for about 15 minutes or until they are cooked all the way through.
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24
Then, coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat.
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25
Brown the meatballs on all sides.
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26
If using them right away, toss them in your big pot of sauce with spaghetti, or whatever pasta you like.
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27
Drizzle with big fat fi nishing oil and sprinkle with Parm, toss vigorously, and serve.
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28
If youre not using them right away, freeze them on a baking sheet and then toss them in a baggie.
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29
If you have a pot of sauce, you can always pull these meatballs out of the freezer & toss them straight into the sauceno need to defrost them first!
