FAMILY SICILIAN SAUCE AND MEATBALLS

Family Sicilian Sauce and Meatballs image

My mother's family originally came from Sicily and every family member makes his or her own version - this version came most recently via Brooklyn. If there are any leftovers, they freeze very well. MANGIA! Serve with red wine and a good loaf of crusty Italian bread.

Provided by PETEIYC

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian

Time 4h55m

Yield 24

Number Of Ingredients 23

Ingredients

3 slices white bread, torn into pieces
¼ cup milk or water
1 ½ pounds ground beef
2 eggs
½ cup grated Romano cheese
1 pinch dried parsley
¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
12 (3.5 ounce) links sweet Italian sausage
1 ½ pounds cubed beef brisket
½ pound pork neck bones
4 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
3 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
½ cup red wine
4 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
3 (16 ounce) packages dry pasta

Steps:

To make the meatballs, combine bread and milk or water in a medium bowl. Mix in ground beef, eggs, Romano cheese, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Form golf ball-sized meatballs; place into freezer to firm up.
To make sauce, heat olive oil in a large pot on medium heat; stir in onion. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and 1 sausage link; cook about 3 minutes more.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, brown beef chunks and pork neck bones; set aside.
When onions and garlic are done, turn heat down to low. Add tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. Stir in the browned beef and pork, crushed tomatoes, wine, bay leaves, cinnamon, parsley, basil, and salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 3 to 4 hours.
Once you add the meatballs, let sauce simmer for 1 hour. When sauce is nearly ready, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Cover pasta with sauce and meatballs and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 669.1 calories, Carbohydrate 58.6 g, Cholesterol 105.3 mg, Fat 34.4 g, Fiber 5.3 g, Protein 30.8 g, SaturatedFat 12.6 g, Sodium 921.5 mg, Sugar 6.1 g