Spaghetti Sauce

Classic Spaghetti And Meatballs

Chef Blythe Beck's zesty meatballs were bathed in a rich tomato sauce accented by oregano, garlic and pepper, as well as a good dose of brown sugar for sweetness. It's the same recipe her mother used.

Ingredients
• ¾ cup onion, chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt (bam!)
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 (1-pound) cans stewed tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 bay leaf • 1 recipe of meatballs (recipe follows)
• 1 ½ pounds of spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
• MEATBALLS:
• 4 slices white sandwich bread
• ½ cup water
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound ground beef (turkey, pork, veal or chicken can be substituted)

Directions
In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook onion, garlic and spices in oil until tender but not brown. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes (make meatballs while sauce simmers, see recipe below). Add meatballs, loosely cover and simmer for another 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

MEATBALLS:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Soak bread in ½ cup water for 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs, cheese, parsley and spices. Mix well. Add meat and continue mixing until thoroughly blended. With wet hands, form mixture into small balls (the diameter of the OK sign you make with your hand; you should have about 20 balls).

Place on broiler rack set over broiler pan (so that the grease will drain off while baking). Bake 20 minutes until brown. Meatballs will not be completely cooked when brown, but they will continue to cook later in the sauce. Meatballs should be hot enough to have rendered some, but not all, of their fat.

Continue cooking meatballs in sauce as directed in the recipe above.

Nutritional Facts
Calories 779
Calories from fat 21%
Total fat 18g
Saturated fat 5g
Cholesterol 101mg
Carbohydrate 113g
Sodium 1,366mg
Fiber 11g
Protein 33g


Source: Blythe Beck, executive chef at Hector's on Henderson
Published in The Dallas Morning News on February 26, 2008