Sunday Dinner

Is there something that you always make & always look forward to eating as a family? Something that you will never tire of having? We have a few “somethings” like this but I have to say, nothing else exists that comes close to a huge pot of sauce & homemade meatballs.  This is other-wise known as “Sunday Dinner”. And yes, I am Irish. Ha! But my hubby is Italian. His mom makes the most delicious sauce…  & when we have hers, well she adds in sausage & braciole (A thin slice of meat, usually wrapped around a stuffing & cooked in its own juices). Well, for this Irish-woman, I have to say, I make a prêt-tee GOOD sauce!!! And my meatballs… Heavenly spheres on a plate…

I changed my meatballs up a bit this Sunday. Oh they were the same, huge size… But I made them caprese-style… Just add pasta & good, crusty bread. Oh we love a dab of cold ricotta on the side too!

What is your Sunday tradition?

<3 Lishie

Caprese Meatballs

• 1lb. ground beef (80%)
• 1/2 c bread crumbs
• 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c shredded mozzarella
• 1 clove minced garlic (I microplane it)
• 2 TBSp fresh Basil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c AP Flour, for dipping/dredging
• 2-3 TBSp olive oil *add more between batches if needed

Place the ground beef in a large bowl. Add the next 6 ingredients onto the top of the beef, ending with the egg. Using your hands, gently fold all of the ingredients into the beef, combining them but not overly mixing them. Shape into 8 good sized round mounds.

In a saute pan, heat the oil on medium-high.

One batch of raw meatballs.

On a separate plate, place the flour for dipping. Using tongs, dip each meatball into the flour, gently tapping off the excess (flour). Place into the heated pan, 4 meatballs only in the pan at a time. Now watch the meatballs carefully- do not let them brown too much or burn... roll each around to make sure they equally brown on all sides. This technique "seals" the meatballs together, keeps them intact once they hit the sauce & allows for a delicious, juicy interior!

After the first 4 meatballs are "sealed", add them into the simmering sauce, covering them in it. Then repeat with the last 4 meatballs. Once all 8 meatballs are in the sauce simmering away, stir. Then allow your sauce to simmer for a minimum of 3 hours!!! Stirring every 15 minutes if the stock pan is on the stove. If in the crock-pot, leave be & stir at the very end. I allowed this evening's to simmer for 8 hours.

Go here for the Sauce recipe.