Recipe for "meatballs-1"

NAME

     MEATBALLS-1 - Simple meatballs in  herb  and  garlic  tomato
     sauce
     I've been making this recipe since I was about 10 years old,
     and  I  don't  remember where we got it.  It's easy and very
     good, though.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6)

          SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
     400 g     canned tomatoes (1 large can),  coarsely  chopped,
               with juice
     120 ml    tomato sauce (1 small can)
     1 clove   garlic, minced
     20 g      parsley, chopped
     5 ml      chili powder
          MEATBALL INGREDIENTS:
     500 g     pork sausage
     20 g      parsley, chopped
     30 g      cracker crumbs
     100 g     parmesan cheese (grated)
     1         egg
     500 g     pasta (tagliarini, spaghetti, or whatever)

PROCEDURE

          (1)  Combine the sauce ingredients and bring to a  boil
               while preparing the meatballs.
          (2)  Mix all meatball ingredients.  It is easiest to do
               this  with  your  hands.   Form  into walnut-sized
               balls.
          (3)  Drop the meatballs into  BOILING  sauce.   If  the
               sauce  is  not boiling, the meatballs will fall to
               pieces.  Simmer gently for about an hour.  If  you
               are  making  the sauce to eat right away, you will
               probably want to skim the grease that cooks out of
               the  sausage  periodically. If you are making this
               ahead, the grease will congeal when it sits  over-
               night  in  the refrigerator, and you can remove it
               easily then.
          (4)  Check  for  salt.   Depending  on  the  brands  of
               sausage  and  tomatoes  you  use, you may not need
               any. If you need to add salt, be sparing.
          (5)  Boil the pasta.  Pour the sauce and meatballs over
               it  and serve with grated parmesan, or combine and
               reheat in a casserole, sprinkled with parmesan.

NOTES

     This is fine made a day ahead.   Chilling  it  gives  you  a
     chance to remove the grease that cooks out of the sausage.

RATING

     Difficulty: easy.  Time:  15  minutes  preparation,  1  hour
     cooking.  Precision: no need to measure.

CONTRIBUTOR

     Vicki O'Day
     Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto CA
     hplabs!oday