Fresh herbs and veggies are in season and traditionally I have always made a big tub of Italian spaghetti and meat balls.
The recipe was handed over the fence to my grandmother back around 1945 and has been in our family since.
Mrs. Poloumbo's Spaghetti and Meat balls
Using a cookie sheet or cutting board, place your bowl containing the beef and a bowl containing 12 of wheat flour.
Cut up Rosemary needles tarragon and thyme and knead these ingredients into the fresh beef.
You'll need a very fine dash of salt while you're doing this.
Next finally chopped a red or white sweet onion into quarter inch squares and needs this into the fresh beef until the whole thing is homogeneous.
Begin rolling balls of beef about the size of the golf ball, and dip them into the bowl with the flour and place a layer of these on the bottom of your Dutch oven, which should be simmering at this point.
When the meat is browned to a crusty medium brown flip them over and continue browning all sides.Continue cooking the meat until it is complete and set aside in a bowl to cool.
The sauce:
Without cleaning or scraping the Dutch oven, which will now have a mucky layer of flour oil and bits of ground beef, add the contents of your plum tomatoes and tomato paste, stirring constantly.
You should now add the following ingredients to simmer in the sauce:
Two cloves of garlic, ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, or red wine, dill seeds 1 cup of chopped fresh celery 3 bay leaves.
3 -4 ounce cans of water or beef bullion.
The remnants of the meat ball cooking process has flour in it and helps to thicken the sauce. You may find you may need a bit more to your liking so just mix a bit of the remaining flour in cold water and add it carefully to the simmering pot.let this simmer for about 1- 1/2 hours on low heat. (lower heat keeps you flavour better.)At meal time add the following :
Allow this to simmer for 10- 12 minutes before serving.
The meat balls cooked earlier.
1 1/2 hand Oregano
1 hand fresh Basil
1 hand Parsley
1/4 hand Thyme
You should have the water boiling for your favorite spaghetti or spaghetini at this time. Add a dollup of olive oil to the water and a 1/4 tsp of salt and one Rosemary branch.
Definitions for using your hand for a measure:
A hand is the amount of fresh greens that fit into your hand just gently closed.
A 1/2 hand is half that amount!
A 1/4 hand is about the size of a Tooney.( say 1" diameter)
A Tsp covers a quarter.
A 1/2 Tsp covers a nickle
A 1/4 Tsp covers a dime.
Enjoy
Bob Oswin
The recipe was handed over the fence to my grandmother back around 1945 and has been in our family since.
Mrs. Poloumbo's Spaghetti and Meat balls
- 2-lb Fresh ground beef - lean.
- 1 -28 oz can chopped plum tomatoes
- 3 -4 oz cans Tomato paste (double concentrated tomato)
- 4 -Tbsp red wine vinegar or red wine
- 2 -4" Rosemary branches with green needles
- 1/4 Tsp ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 Tsp ground Ginger
- 3 -medium cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1/2 -Tsp fresh Dill seeds
- 2 -Tbsp brown sugar
- 3- Tbsp olive oil
- 1 -Tsp fresh Oregano
- 1 -hand fresh Basil
- 1 -hand Parsley
- 1 -cup of chopped fresh celery
- 1/4 -hand thyme
- 3 fresh Bay leaves or dried .
- 1/4 Tsp ground black pepper/ salt to taste.( most canned tomatoes have added salt so go easy on this
Using a cookie sheet or cutting board, place your bowl containing the beef and a bowl containing 12 of wheat flour.
Cut up Rosemary needles tarragon and thyme and knead these ingredients into the fresh beef.
You'll need a very fine dash of salt while you're doing this.
Next finally chopped a red or white sweet onion into quarter inch squares and needs this into the fresh beef until the whole thing is homogeneous.
Begin rolling balls of beef about the size of the golf ball, and dip them into the bowl with the flour and place a layer of these on the bottom of your Dutch oven, which should be simmering at this point.
When the meat is browned to a crusty medium brown flip them over and continue browning all sides.Continue cooking the meat until it is complete and set aside in a bowl to cool.
The sauce:
Without cleaning or scraping the Dutch oven, which will now have a mucky layer of flour oil and bits of ground beef, add the contents of your plum tomatoes and tomato paste, stirring constantly.
You should now add the following ingredients to simmer in the sauce:
Two cloves of garlic, ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, or red wine, dill seeds 1 cup of chopped fresh celery 3 bay leaves.
3 -4 ounce cans of water or beef bullion.
The remnants of the meat ball cooking process has flour in it and helps to thicken the sauce. You may find you may need a bit more to your liking so just mix a bit of the remaining flour in cold water and add it carefully to the simmering pot.let this simmer for about 1- 1/2 hours on low heat. (lower heat keeps you flavour better.)At meal time add the following :
Allow this to simmer for 10- 12 minutes before serving.
The meat balls cooked earlier.
1 1/2 hand Oregano
1 hand fresh Basil
1 hand Parsley
1/4 hand Thyme
You should have the water boiling for your favorite spaghetti or spaghetini at this time. Add a dollup of olive oil to the water and a 1/4 tsp of salt and one Rosemary branch.
Definitions for using your hand for a measure:
A hand is the amount of fresh greens that fit into your hand just gently closed.
A 1/2 hand is half that amount!
A 1/4 hand is about the size of a Tooney.( say 1" diameter)
A Tsp covers a quarter.
A 1/2 Tsp covers a nickle
A 1/4 Tsp covers a dime.
Enjoy
Bob Oswin