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| If you want to have a meat sauce, then this is what you would do: while you're starting your sauce, you would brown 1 lb. of ground chuck in a pan like this. Do not get lean meat. Get the meat that says 80/20. You want the fat/grease. Before you put in the meat add a little olive oil and fresh chopped garlic. |
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With a flat spoon break up the meat while browning into very small pieces and add in some fresh parsley, salt, pepper, oregano and sweet basil. You want to brown this on high heat to get the meat a dark brown. Then drain out the grease and put the meat mixture into the sauce. If I make a meat sauce, I usually add this browned meat at the point in the main sauce recipe right after I have added the diced tomatoes and before I add the canned sauce. Now onto the chops.
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| Yes, you will be making a mess of your kitchen, just forget about keeping it clean while you're cooking. You have many details to focus on with the cooking and you can always clean the kitchen a few hours after you've enjoyed this delicious meal :-) |
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| NOTE: The better the olive oil, the better everything is going to taste. Here you can get some nice Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. That olive oil link will open up a new browser window. Just close out the window to get back here. |
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| This is a pork chop in a pan, see it sizzle? This is a very tasty addition to the sauce. It adds some nice flavor to the overall sauce. Here you fry the pork chop in a pan with olive oil on pretty high heat. You want to brown it like you see here on the right. While you're frying the pork chop you will want to add black pepper and some basil. Freshly ground black pepper is recommended and you must get one of the really big grinders like you see here in the picture, they're really nice and they make you feel like a professional chef ;-) |
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| OK, so you browned the pork chop, now you put it in the sauce and just let it simmer. You will want to put the pork chop into the sauce early on in the cooking process, as it needs to cook longer. |
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| Alright! Now it's time for the meatballs. It's going to get even messier now. If you look here in this photo you will see just about everything you will need to make the meatballs. Well, okay, you won't be using the coffee creamer. Please don't put coffee creamer in your meatballs. |
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| Important tip: Do you have Italian music playing at this time? No??? Well, you need Italian music playing, it will make everything run smoother 'cause you'll feel more Italian while you're cooking and this is important; it will make it all taste better, trust me! Remember you're not just cooking, you are embarking on a culinary adventure! Italian cooking is not just cooking, it's an event that can consume a whole day! |
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| This is about 1 lb. of ground meat in a bowl with fresh chopped garlic and fresh chopped parsley! This is the beginning of the meatball mix. |
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| Here I am adding the wheat bread. What I did not show here is getting the bread wet, you can use water or milk. You soak the bread, then you squeeze it real tight, then you break it up into the mixture. |
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| The bread should almost have a glue-like consistency. Break it up into the smallest pieces you can and spread it around in the bowl. |
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| Now you add one egg. The egg is important because it's going to help hold the mixture together and it's really going to get your hands messy. |
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The egg going into the bowl.
Exciting, isn't it? :-) |
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| >Part one of the meatball making process is now complete. Here you have the ground meat, fresh parsley, garlic, bread and egg. Now we have to add some spices and other yummy stuff. Click on the link for step 2 of the Meatball Making Adventure.. |
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