The Ultimate Meatball Sandwich

 

  

The Ultimate Meatball Sandwich

(Yields 4 servings)

As I celebrate a year of colourful cooking, I find myself reminiscing on the years of making homemade tomato sauce with my family in Toronto. Making tomato sauce was a weekend affair that we endured in September just before the start of school.  Among many years of highlights, washing hundreds of plum tomatoes in a kiddie pool was a pretty memorable experience.  The secret to these savory meatballs is all in their slow cooking time. The longer the meatballs cook in tomato sauce, the more savory and tender they will be. I also like to quickly fry the meatballs for a few minutes before dropping them into the sauce. This prevents the meatballs from breaking up into the sauce as they continue to cook.  

Alcohol Pairings

Wine: Tuscan Sangiovese

Beer: Big Rig Lon’s ESB

What you need:

1 can of strained tomatoes (24 ounces or 680 g)

1 whole onion

3 cloves of chopped garlic

½ tsp. sugar

½   pound of extra lean ground beef

¼ c grated parmesan cheese

½ c bread crumbs

1 egg

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

1 tsp. black ground pepper

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

1 loaf of artisan bread

¼ c. grated Gouda cheese

1/3 c alfalfa sprouts

4 slices of red onion

3-4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

How to make it happen:

1. Empty the contents of one can of strained tomatoes into a saucepan. Add one clove of chopped garlic, one whole onion (peeled), sugar and ½ tsp. of salt and pepper. While it may seem odd that I am adding sugar to a savory dish, the sugar is required to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Bring the tomato sauce to a boil and continue to cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.

2. In a separate bowl combine the extra lean ground beef, ½ tsp of salt and pepper, two cloves of chopped garlic, parsley, one egg, breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese. Once the ingredients are well incorporated, form the beef into bite sized balls and set aside (1/2 pound of extra lean ground beef should yield 10-12 meatballs).

3.  Warm a frying pan with 1 tsp of olive oil. Place the meatballs into the frying pan and fry on medium heat until the meatballs have a golden crust.  The meatballs SHOULD NOT be fried until they are fully cooked. They will continue to cook in the tomato sauce.

4. Once the meatballs are slightly golden and have an exterior crust, gently drop them individually into the tomato sauce. Cover the saucepan and allow the meatballs to cook, stirring carefully and occasionally for two hours on medium to low heat.

5. Next, cut the artisan break horizontally and then into sections. Warm a separate frying pan on medium heat and place the bread sections into the pan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and coarse sea salt until both sides are coated. Lightly toast the bread on both sides until golden.

6. Once the meatballs are fully cooked, place them on the toasted artisan bread. Top the meatballs with 2-3 teaspoons of tomato sauce and sprinkle with grated Gouda cheese. Complete the sandwich with sliced red onions and alfalfa sprouts.

Salad

(Yields 4 servings)

What you need:

4 c of mixed greens
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 tsp. black ground pepper
1-2 peeled carrots (assorted colours)

2 tbsp. raw pepitas

1 peeler

How to make it happen:

1. In a separate bowl, whisk the extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and black ground pepper until the ingredients are combined.

2. Peel coloured carrots until clean. Use the peeler to continue to create carrot garnishes for the salad.

3. Toss the salad with carrot garnishes and raw pepitas. Drizzle the lemon and olive oil dressing over the mixed greens.