vincenza's pasta sauce

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup grated romano cheese
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 pound lamb spareribs
• 1 pound hot italian sausage
• 1 cup olive oil for frying
• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
• 5 quarts tomato puree, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup water

Recipe

Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 40 mins

Ready Time: 2 hrs 20 mins


• in a large bowl, combine ground beef, egg, romano cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper, and water. mix until well blended. roll meat mixture into balls about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch in diameter. set aside.
• place the lamb ribs in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. transfer to a large stock pot. in the same skillet, cook the sausage until browned. add to stock pot.
• fill the skillet with a mix of olive oil and vegetable oil to a level about 1 to 2 inches up the side of the pan. heat over medium-high heat and place meatballs into the oil. do not attempt to turn the meatballs until they release from the bottom of the pan. you want a nice crusty meatball. once meatballs are done, add them to the stockpot, too. pour 4 quarts of tomato puree into the stockpot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. reduce heat and allow to simmer.
• drain most of the oil out of the skillet, but leaving enough to fry the onion. heat the oil over medium heat. stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. reduce heat to medium-low, and continue cooking and stirring until the onion is very tender and dark brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. stir in the can of tomato paste along with 3/4 cup of water, and the final quart of tomato puree into the skillet. let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, then pour the sauce into stockpot. simmer until the meats are tender, 1 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.