Italian Meatballs with pasta

I watched a TV program at TLC with an Italian chef making these meatballs sauce, saying that this is the dish for almost all Italian families on Sunday lunch. Looks easy at TV and therefore tried to make one for Chung's family Sunday lunch too. At the end, it's all ok, just a bit of work to do! But worth trying.

Ingredients:

Braising Sauce:
Spare ribs
Beef ribs
Onion x 1 - minced
Garlic x 3 cloves - pressed
Fresh Tomatoes x 3 - de-skin and de-seed, then minced
Italian Tin Peeled Tomatoes x 2 to 3 cans
herbs you like - thymes or rosemary or both
Chicken Broth
salt and pepper and sugar

Meatballs:
Minced Beef x approx 200g
Minced Pork x approx 200g
Minced Chicken or Veal x approx 200g
fresh white bread x 1 pc soaked with water
breadcrumbs x 1 to 2 cups
1 to 2 eggs
garlic x 3-4 cloves - minced
italian parsley - minced
grated parmesan cheese

How to Make:

Braising Sauce
1. Wash and dry your pork ribs and beef ribs.

2. Then heat up a frying pan and pan fried the  ribs until evenly browned. Take out and drain the extra oil on kitchen towel.

3. Heat up another braising pot which can hold all your ribs. Pan fried the minced onion onion and garlic until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and the tin tomatoes and the ribs. Then add some water or chicken stock until all ribs are under the liquid. Add the herbs you like (thymes, rosemary, salt and pepper) in a herb bag and bring to boil. Then turn to medium to medium low heat. The pork ribs should be soft enough in 1.5 hr while the beef ribs in about 2 hrs. Check from time to time so that the meat still slings on to the bones but tender enough. Once the pork ribs are tender enough, remove them from the braising pot first to avoid over cooking.

4. If the ribs are fatty, there are bound to be oil. Best to remove it by skimming it after it cools down and you remove the meat but just the sauce remaining.

5. Season the braising sauce with salt, black pepper and sugar and adjust accordingly as per your taste.

Meatballs
1. Mix the 3 types of minced meat together and marinate with salt, pepper, sugar and corn flour.

2. Slightly soak 1 pc of white bread in water and use your hand to tear it into smaller pieces and add to the minced meat.

3. Add the minced garlic, 1 egg, minced parlsey and the breadcrumbs and use your hand to mix it all up, then lastly add the grated parmesan cheese.

4. If you feel the mixture is too dry, then add another egg. If you feel the mixture is too wet, add another spoonful of breadcrumbs until you feel the consistency of the mixture is balanced.

5. Then use a tablespoon to scoop out mixture and roll it between the palms of your hands until it becomes like a golf ball. Line them up in a plate and sprinkle with some cornflour on top.

6. Re-heat the braising sauce and keep it at low fire.

7. Heat up a frying pan, add olive oil enough to pan fried the meatballs. Pan-fried them in batches until golden in the outer surface, drain the oil in kitchen towel, then add these meatballs to the braising sauce for 30 -45min.

8. Best to prepare your favourite pasta separately. Sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese on top.

Ready to serve, with a glass of Moscato perhaps!

Enjoy!