Recipe: John Cassavetes' Minted Beef (made with rice and cooked in tomato sauce)

JOHN CASSAVETES' MINTED BEEF

2 large yellow onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons butter
1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes
1 tomato can full of water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
1 1/2 lbs. top round steak
2 Tablespoons fresh mint, crushed
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup uncooked rice

Saute onions in butter until golden.

Add tomatoes, water, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer about 30 minutes or until volume has reduced by 1/3, stirring often.

Drain onions; reserve sauce.

Trim and discard fat from steak. Put meat through grinder twice with onion mixture. Add mint, eggs and rice. With hands, form meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls.

Bring sauce to a boil. Drop meatballs into boiling sauce. Cool 10-15 minutes, or until rice is cooked. Add water to sauce as necessary so meatballs won't stick to pot.

Source: The Celebrity Cookbook by Johna Blinn