Mae Lagana's Spaghetti and Meatballs

By catfish

This is my signature dish with directions complete enough fro any cook to follow. It comes from my mother in law, Mae
love to see your reviews

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground sirloin
• 1 pounds sweet sausage
• 1 pork loin chop with bone
• package unseasoned bread crumbs (2 large handfils)
• eggs equal to the pounds of hamburger
• 1 big sweet onion
• fresh parsley and basil
• 1 TBL butter
• 1 TBL tsp sugar
• 1 carrott
• salt and pepper
• 2 cans (28 oz) whole italian plum tomatoes (imported San Marzano or organic Muir Glen are the best)
• 2 can crushed (28 oz)
• 1 cans tomato paste

Preparation

Step 1

Start by browning the sausage. Put the sausage in the frying pan, prick with a fork on all sides and continue pricking it as you turn it as it browns. It takes about 20 min.
While the sausage is cooking, open all the cans of tomatoes. With your hands (I use gloves) crush the whole tomatoes as you add them to the pot. Add 2 cans of water. ( a little less if your pot is more then 2/3 rds full)
Peel the carrott and then continue to peel the rest into the sauce so you have strips of carrot
Chop up the whole onion. This will be for the meatballs and the sauce. Using a small pan like an omelet pan, melt the butter and saute a generous handfil til it browned but not burnt. Add it to the sauce. The rest of the onion will be for the meatballs

Chop up 2 tablespoon of fresh basil , add to the sauce

Chop up the parsley, add 3 tablespoons to the sauce and save the rest for the meatballs

Add the sugar to the sauce

Add salt and pepper (Kosher salt is better) Roughly 2 tsp salt and 15 grindings of pepper

Put pot on medium flame until it starts to boil and then lower it to simmer.

The meatballs.
In a bowl put hamburger, onion, 2 eggs (1 per pound of hamburger) 2 large as you can handfills of the breadcrumbs (1 per pound of hamburger)parsley, kosher salt and pepper
Mix til just blended (too much will make them tough)
Shape into large meatballs. Roughly 3 inch diametor.

Using the same pan you made the sausage add olive and veg oil til the pan is 1/2 full or roughly 1 1/2 inches deep. The mix is 2/3 olive to 1/3 vegetable oil
Heat oil on med-high until you see a shimmer and the meat sizzles when you put it in the pot.

Cut off the meat on the pork chop into small cubes. When the oil is hot enough to make a cube sizzle, brown the cubes and bone in the oil and then add it to your sauce. It is only 2-3 min

Cook 3-4 meatballs at a time , turning once when browned. Add them to the sauce.

Cook for 2-4 hours.
When it starts sticking on the bottom, it will be time to add the can of tomato paste. Then cook it for another 20 -30 minutes
Every 15 to 20 min stir the sauce, especially the bottom to prevent sticking. More often as you get close to 3 hours. The only thing to remember is to stir it so it does not stick on the bottom and try not to break up the meatballs
Around 2+ hours it should be getting thicker. . The sauce is done when it is the right thickness and or it starts sticking, add the paste and cook 20 - 30 min more. Remember to remove the pork bone