To Meat or not to Meat....

My family loves pasta, we generally eat it twice a week. Our only argument comes to the meat. Husband and I prefer our pasta meatless. Our daughter, however, loves meatballs. These recipes help to please everyone.

Spaghetti Sauce

Saute the following in a large dutch oven:

1 onion

5 cloves of garlic

8 ounces of fresh mushrooms

1/2 chopped green pepper

Add the following:

1 quart of crushed tomatoes (or 1 large can of crushed tomatoes)

1 small can of tomato paste

1 cup red wine

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp marjarom

1 tbsp honey

Let cook on low heat, uncovered until sauce reaches desired thickness. I like to cook for a minimum of 1 hour.

Meatballs

When it comes to meatballs, I refuse to buy hamburger. I have read too many articles about the number of cows found in one pound of ground meat. The practice of putting hundreds of cows in a large vat before packaging increases the risk of e.coli. This bothers me a great deal. Why in the world would this practice continue? For a long time I refused to make any dish with ground meat in it. Protests from my daughter convinced me to find an alternative. I get a steak from the meat department and have the butcher grind it. I use a round steak or a sirloin (a chuck roast will also work). The butcher is more than happy to do this for you. It takes only a few minutes of your time and you know what the steak looks like before it is ground. No strange parts are added. You can serve your family a product that makes you feel safe.

Okay, enough about the horrors of hamburger. Here's my recipe.

1 pound of ground beef

1 small minced onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

salt

pepper

Gently combine ingredients and shape into meatballs. Don't overwork the meat. Brown the meatballs in a skillet on medium heat. When meat has browned, add 1 cup of the sauce from the recipe above. Turn down to a simmer and let cook until cooked through.

When the sauce is ready, boil the pasta. My preference for this dish is thin spaghetti. Be sure to add plenty of salt to the water, your pasta will be flavorless if you don't. Cook for the shortest amount of time on box (al dente).

Lots of chefs tell us to add the pasta to the sauce before serving. I find this makes the pasta even better. The pasta soaks up the sauce and adds extra flavor. Be sure to top the pasta with lots of freshly grated parmesan. Now add the meatballs, or not!