TRADITIONAL ITALIAN SAUCE
(tomato sauce cooked with meats served over pasta)

Serve this rich delicious sauce over your favorite pasta. Customarily made by Southern Italians on Sundays, and enjoyed again as "left overs" during the week with an alternate pasta. Using tender meats like braciola (beef cutlets) stuffed with basic seasonings perfumes the sauce. Frying the meatballs gently with assorted ground meats combined gives the sauce a spectacular flavor.

Tips: Your meats can vary from spare ribs to sweet sausage with fennel, or pork meat with bone. Adding the Italian pancetta (bacon) seasoned with red pepper flakes and sweet paprika gives the sauce flavor and spice.

Panella Bread or Pane Di Casa

Ingredients                                                                              
1/2 cup pIus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and halved
1/4 pound piece spiced pancetta
10 cloves garlic (5 pressed, 2 finely chopped, 3 cracked)
Course salt and freshly ground
3 thirty-five-ounce cans plum tomatoes, pureed in a blender
1 twenty-eight-ounce can tomato purée
6 large fresh basil leaves
2 medium lean beef cutlets (about 9 ounces each)
1 tablespoon fresh fiat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 teaspoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus
more for garnish
4 to 5 links sweet pork sausage with fennel (about 3/4 pound)
4 pork spare ribs (about 3/4 pound)
1/2 cup white wine
Meatballs (recipe follows)
1 pound pasta, such as ziti, penne, or pennoni

Preparation
1. In a large saucepan, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Add onion, pancetta, pressed garlic, and salt; saute 2 minutes. Stir in pureed tomatoes, tomato purée, and basil. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove and discard onion halves.

2. Place beef cutlets on work surface. Sprinkle each piece with
2 teaspoons olive oil, I clove finely chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon
parsley, and 1 teaspoon cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Roll beef, and tie with kitchen twine.

3. Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add cracked garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Place rolled beef, sausage, and spare ribs in skillet and cook until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add wine, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove browned meat from pan, and add to sauce along with meatballs.

4. Add 2 cups water, and return to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

5. Just before sauce is finished bring a large pot of salted water
to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, following package
instructions. Drain, and transfer to a large serving platter. Stir
sauce to combine, and ladle sauce over pasta. Serve meats on
a separate platter. Sprinkle cheese over pasta and meats.



MEATBALLS
Makes 20

1 1/2 pounds ground top sirloin
3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pound ground veal
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fiat-leaf parsley
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 slice Italian bread, soaked in water
3/4 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup light olive oil

1. Line a baking sheet with paper towels; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine top sirloin, pork, veal, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add cheese, parsley, and eggs. Squeeze water from bread. Tear Into small pieces, and add to meat mixture. Add 3/4 cup bread crumbs; stir to combine.

3. With damp hands, form 1/4 cup mixture into a ball. Repeat with remaining mixture.

4. Heat light olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-
high heat. When oil is very hot, add meatballs in one layer.
Cook until golden brown all over, about 2 minutes per side.
Transfer to prepared baking sheet to drain.

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