Meatball Tomato Gravy and Lasagna

Meatball gravy (sauce)

Olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves

1 medium onion, sliced

6-ounce can tomato paste

6 ounces water

2 16-ounce cans whole peeled toma­toes, crushed (or two 16-ounce cans crushed tomatoes and no paste)

2 basil leaves

Cover the bottom of the saucepan with olive oil. Brown the cloves of garlic in the hot oil and then remove. Add sliced onion and sauté until deep brown. Add tomato paste and stir in one tomato paste can's worth of water. Blend and let bubble for two minutes. Add the whole crushed tomatoes. (If using crushed tomatoes, simply add the purée to the pot without the paste.) Stir and simmer with basil leaves for at least an hour.

Meatballs:

2 cups cubed day-old bread soaked in 1/2 cup of water

1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (to taste – more for a saltier, stronger cheese flavor)

1 large garlic clove, crushed

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

3/4 pound ground pork

3/4 pound ground beef

1 egg, slightly beaten

Squeeze the bread to remove excess water. Add grated cheese, garlic, and parsley, and blend thoroughly so it is almost like a paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the meat and egg, blending thoroughly.

Wet hands with water and scoop a handful of the mixture and roll slightly smaller than a tennis ball. Make sure that there are no cracks on the surface of the meatball to keep them from breaking up in the gravy.

In a heavy frying pan, fry the meatballs all around over medium-high heat, searing the outside brown. They won't look like balls when you are done, but the browning is what gives the gravy its flavor. Let the meatballs stand for 10 minutes before dropping them into the tomato base. Deglaze the frying pan and add the drippings to the tomato mixture as well. Simmer for three hours, stirring occasionally. Meatballs can be crumbled into the layers of lasagna or served on the side.

Lasagna

1-1/2 to 2-1/2 cups grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (to taste)

1 pound lasagna noodles

3 pounds ricotta

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 pound mozzarella or scamorza, sliced in chunks

Blend ricotta, parsley, and 1 to 2 cups grated cheese together. (Reserve some grated cheese for the assembly.) If using regular noodles that require boiling, boil only until the noodles can bend slightly, five minutes at most. Drain.

In a lasagna pan, spoon some gravy on the bottom to keep the pasta from sticking to the dish. Add a layer of noodles and spread a small amount of gravy on top. Next, spoon a thin layer of the ricotta mixture to cover the noodles, do not worry about getting into every corner. Lay thin slices of mozzarella or scamorza on top of the ricotta and add more gravy to cover the cheese. Spoon grated Parmesan or Romano on the gravy, then add the next layer of noodles. Continue until the noodles and ricotta are used up. Finish with a layer of noodles, gravy, mozzarella, and grated cheese. Reserve some gravy for serving. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes. Let sit 20 minutes before serving with meatballs (if you didn't crumble them into the sauce) and extra gravy. Serves 12.

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