Recipe: James Beard's Italian Meat Sauce and Meatballs (1950's)

ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE AND MEATBALLS

4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1 carrot, grated
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
1 teaspoon thyme
1 stalk celery
1 (28 ounces) can solid-pack tomatoes
Salt and pepper (to taste)
1 cup meat broth (or 1 cup water plus 1 bouillon cube)
1 (6 ounce) can Italian tomato paste
Meat Balls for Italian Meat Sauce (optional, recipe follows)
Hot cooked spaghetti, noodles or any pasta (for serving)
Grated Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese (for serving)

Heat the olive oil and butter and add the chopped garlic and onion. Saute them gently until delicately browned and tender.

Add the ground beef and pork; cook, stirring and tossing the meat about in the pan to keep if from caking. It should be loose and crumbly.

When the meat is well browned, add the grated carrot, bay leaves, cloves, thyme, celery and canned tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add the meat broth. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be reduced and thickened. If not, cook uncovered for a little longer until it cooks down a bit. If desired, add browned meat balls and simmer in the sauce for the last 30 minutes of cooking.

If desired, put the sauce through a fine strainer or food mill.* Return it to the stove, taste for seasoning and add a can of Italian tomato paste. Cook gently for 15 minutes.

Serve over hot spaghetti, noodles or any pasta and pass grated Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese.

*VARIATIONS:
1. Do not strain the sauce but serve it with the bits of meat and vegetables in it.
2. Add meat balls to the sauce if desired (see recipe below).

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MEAT BALLS FOR ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE

1 pound top round steak, ground
1/2 pound ground lean pork
1/2 pound of ground veal
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Dash red pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon of dried basil (or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Butter and olive oil

Mix the ground meats together with all the seasonings and blend in two lightly beaten eggs. Form into small balls.

Brown them quickly in hot olive oil and butter mixed. Shake the meat balls around in the pan to cook them evenly and keep them round. When they are browned on the outside but not cooked through, add them to the Italian Meat Sauce and let them simmer in the sauce for 1/2 hour. Correct the seasoning.

Makes 8 servings
Source: The James Beard Cookbook by James Beard