Italian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

The Sauce

• 3/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled (or 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil)
• 28 ounces tomatoes, crushed
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons romano cheese, freshly grated
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled

Meatballs

• 2 slices bread, soaked in broth or milk (with liquid squeezed from it)
• 1 lb lean ground hamburger
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup romano cheese, freshly grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground ( to taste)
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Make the sauce: in a heavy saucepan cook the onion and the garlic in the oil over low heat, stirring, for 2 minutes; add parsley, basil, tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, wine, sugar, romano, salt, and oregano, and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
2. While sauce is cooking, prepare the meatballs: in a large bowl combine bread (with liquid squeezed from it), eggs, romano, parsley, garlic, the oregano, salt, and pepper; mix well and form into 8 meatballs.
3. In a large skillet brown the meatballs in the oil over high heat, turning them often; make sure to not crowd them in the pan, otherwise they wont brown properly.
4. Transfer the browned meatballs to the sauce with a slotted spoon and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
5. You can serve them with your favorite pasta right away or any leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 2 days and will just increase in flavor.