I cook with wine…

If you’re anything like me, many of your fondest childhood memories involve time spent in the kitchen. One of my favorite times was our annual meatball-making day. My mother, grandmother and I would all form a rather efficient assembly line in the kitchen, which would quickly morph into a reenactment of that famed I Love Lucy episode once the meatballs were cooked. Mommom, as she is known, led the pack with her taste buds and general cooking genius. As a result, there is a tradition, but no formal recipe. She gave me the “recipe” just as I will give it to you – a vague list of ingredients with the instructions to “fry a bit up and taste for yourself!” I hope you can gather some friends or family together, and have an equally happy time – trust me, the results are worth it!

Meatballs

Ingredients:

Lean ground beef and/or pork

Green peppers, chopped

Onions, diced

Salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated

Garlic, fresh and powdered

Bread crumbs with Italian seasoning

Eggs (2 – 3 for a large batch)

Directions:

Mix ingredients together; test for taste by frying a bit in a pan. Adjust if necessary. Form into balls. Broil on a cookie sheet until top is brown, flip. Broil until done.

Chunky Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Fresh Italian parsley

Green peppers, chopped

Onions, diced

Garlic, chopped

Whole canned plum tomatoes

Italian seasoning (dried basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, sage or your preferred combination thereof)

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Sauté peppers, onions, garlic and parsley in olive oil until cooked. Add tomatoes and seasoning and bring to a simmer. Simmer for several hours. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with cooked pasta and meatballs.

I’m just going to put it out there – I love tomatoes. I know I’ve already touched on them in the Caprese Insalata and lasagna recipes, but as we are in the midst of the heirloom tomato season and the farmers market is awash in them. Plus I just can’t resist. I particularly enjoy heirlooms, with all their diversity – some are fat, sweet and yielding; others are petite with tougher skins and a note of bitterness; some are bright and firm with imperfect exteriors but the most vibrant taste. Yes, it’s romantic, but so are heirloom tomatoes. Even the names conjure up distinct personalities: Cherokee Purple, Aunt Ruby, Marvel Stripe, Red Brandywine, Russian Black, Olympic Flame, Early Girl, Green Zebras. That’s just a sample too – there are reportedly more than 600 varieties of heirloom tomato.
 
Health-wise, tomatoes pack a serious punch. They are filled with health-inducing lycopene, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin K. Studies have shown that eating tomatoes can prevent diseases ranging from prostate cancer to heart disease, plus tomatoes also help lower cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation. Fortunately, they are also delicious and adaptable to a number of different dishes. I hope to tackle tomato soup next.
 
And for one more little piece of trivia before I delve into this recipe, the tomato is, indeed, a fruit (as I’m sure you all know). The reason is that, botanically, the tomato with its seeds forms the ovary of a flowering plant thus making it a fruit (see Merriam-Webster’s definition: b (1) : the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant; especially : one having a sweet pulp associated with the seed <the fruit of the tree>). The term “vegetable” has no botanical meaning and is used purely in a culinary sense to denote an edible plant with a more savory flavor (see Merriam-Webster’s definition: 2 : a usually herbaceous plant (as the cabbage, bean, or potato) grown for an edible part that is usually eaten as part of a meal; also : such an edible part). The tomato is not the only plant with qualities of both – eggplants, cucumbers and all squashes are technically fruits with the taste of a vegetable.

Well, I hoped you learned something new there – now on to the tomato sauce, which I really enjoyed. I paired it with this homemade gnocchi, but I suspect it would go equally well with some spaghetti and sauteed zucchini (or courgettes, as my friend Paul insists I call them), on top of goat cheese ravioli, or in eggplant parmesan, to name a few.

Ingredients:

8 medium-sized ripe heirloom tomatoes (I used several different types, but you might want to stick to one for a purer flavor)

1 red onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon raw sugar (I used turbinado, but if you only have granulated or brown sugar on hand, I believe that would work as well)

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

Sea salt to taste

Directions:

First, bring a medium-sized pot of water to boiling and drop tomatoes in, rotating in batches if need be. Boil until the skin loosens or cracks, then plunge into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. After tomotoes are cool, peel the skin off, slice them in half horizontally, and coax the seeds out into a small bowl (then is done by gently squeezing the tomato from top to bottom). Once tomatoes are seeded, dice and place into a bowl. After tomatoes are diced, put the seeds into a strainer over the bowl, in order to keep the juice but keep out the seeds.

After the tomatoes are ready, heat the olive oil in a large pot and toss in the onions. Sauté for approximately 3 minutes, then toss in the garlic and sugar to carmelize. Stir constantly and cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, basil and salt to taste. Stir to combine, cover pot, and let simmer for 15 minutes. If you want a thicker sauce, add some tomato paste. If you want a smooth sauce, run through a blender or food processor. Voila!