What comes to mind for you when and if presented with a quart jar of homemade tomato sauce? The first thought that comes to my mind is meatballs, specifically my mom’s meatballs. The homemade tomato sauce that I recently received from a dear friend was canned with love, attention and sweet Roma tomatoes from the farmer’s market in northeast Michigan.
My friend Darnell returns to her home state of Michigan to “the thumb” area on Lake Huron each summer. This area of the lower peninsula in northeast Michigan is known as the “the thumb” because of the mitten-shaped peninsula that juts out into Lake Huron. Darnell and her mom spend hours in the kitchen each summer before the long days of winter arrive, enjoying the rhythm of canning and preserving vegetables.
I slowly heated this rich and robust fresh tomato sauce over low to medium heat while I began to mix the ingredients and shape the meatballs. It had been many many years since I last made mom’s unforgettable tender and juicy meatballs.
The kids loved them when they were little. I would make a batch, freeze half and cook half for them for dinner.
They loved the meatballs served over pasta with a side of homemade garlic bread for dipping into the flavorful sauce.
Many meatball recipes call for mixtures of meat such as beef, pork and veal. My mom, Alice, always used regular ground beef. I chose to use ground chuck for these meatballs. It helps if the ground meat is a little higher in fat, rather than lean so that they retain their moist, juicy texture.
Other than the beef, there are only 6 other ingredients in this simple recipe. The unique thing about this recipe is the water. Adding the water to the meat mixture keeps the meatballs light and almost fluffy.
I like to drop them directly into the simmering tomato sauce but you can also brown them lightly in the oven before adding to the sauce. They are less delicate if browned first but still have a wonderful flavor. Boil a pot of your favorite pasta and grab some freshly toasted ciabatta and grated parmesan cheese and enjoy a quick and easy Italian style family dinner.
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