First Things First. Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Meatballs

Well, first things first... A photo essay of my Spaghetti and Meatballs process. I say process because it isn't really a recipe.  It's more of a template... that changes... a lot.  I have advanced a long way from my early years of browning a pound of ground beef, adding a couple tablespoons of garlic powder and a jar of Prego.  My first attempts at real gravy came after watching The Godfather where they showed me how to do it. Although I usually use imported canned Italian tomatoes, at this time of year, living here in New Jersey, there is no excuse for not using fresh grown Garden State tomatoes...  except maybe time... and I have too much of that.  

I know that I should have started with a beauty shot of the fresh New Jersey Plum Tomatoes, sitting in a rustic basket on my sun dappled marble-ish countertop, perhaps with a bunch of freshly picked basil slightly out of focus in the background, but I didn't think of it in time.  Anyway here's 4 dollars worth of Jersey's finest from the Trenton Farmer's Market, all blanched and skinned, ready for me to abuse.  
For the uninitiated, blanching is boiling for 2-3 minutes, then plunging into cold water to stop the cooking process.  I prepped the tomatoes first by coring them (or cutting off the top in some cases) and cutting an X in the bottom.  This makes the skins fall off quite easily.

In the last photo you can see a blue plastic colander.  I crush the tomatoes by hand into this colander and rinse under cold water to flush out the seeds and gooey membranes, leaving only ripe tomato fleshy goodness... which goes into the pot on medium.  Stir often.


Then turn this...

into this...
Honestly I never used to do the carrots in the sauce thing, but when pureeing the sauce... which we will be doing... the sweetness really cuts the acid nicely.

Then Sauté the carrots and onion in about a tablespoon butter and a tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil...

adding the garlic towards the end, so as not to burn it.
Also always sauté on medium high, not high. 

Don't forget to stir the tomatoes from time to time!

Then chiffonade some  basil and chop some flat leaf parsley
To chiffonade basil, roll the leaves up in a mini cigar, then slice very thin.

Add to the mix...

sauté briefly.

Then I add a small can of tomato paste to the veggies, and mix well.  This is also when I do most of my seasoning with additional dried spices like oregano, maybe some marjoram...

Once mixed, I add it to the cooking tomatoes, then puree in a blender in small batches...  If I am using canned crushed tomatoes, I usually leave it chunky (and use a little sugar instead of carrots)

...return the pureed sauce to the stove, on a nice low boil, stirring often. Season to taste with salt and pepper... I forgot the bay leaf this time but I usually add one or two of those as well... it varies according to whim.


Next... the meatballs.

This time I used all 90/10 ground beef.  Erika's boys were returning home after a 3 week vacation with their father, and I wanted to make their favorite.  Usually I use a beef/pork/veal blend, and lately, I have been using half 90/10 ground beef and half sweet Italian sausage, but the boys like their beef, so I went that way this time.

I break my eggs first, so I don't have to pick accidental shell fragments out of the meat, and in case of a bad egg... Then I sprinkle the dry ingredients on top in proportions that look or feel right.  I have added dried parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the ingredients in the previous pic.

2.4 pounds of meat...  39 meatballs... this time.

Brown in batches... These required some Extra Virgin Olive Oil... when I use pork they do not.

browning... and sticking a little... sausage in them would solve THAT!

After all the meatballs have been browned and added to the boiling sauce that you haven't forgotten to stir, deglaze the pan with some red wine, and add the scrapings and wine to the sauce.

Here is the pot of meatballs and gravy, all ready to simmer for a while... the longer the better...

...and the beauty shot once again!