As summer turns to autumn turns to winter I find myself making heavier, warming dishes rather than the lighter fare I would have in warmer weather. Today's entry is about one of my tried and true favourites; Spaghetti and Meatballs. Now, as much as I'd love to, I don't have the time to make everything from scratch, so I tend to focus on the main part of the dish. This time was the meatballs and the spaghetti sauce; as we were hitting the tail end of an Indian Summer (that time when it's hot out when it should be cooling off, usually late September early October around here), I wanted a dish that would comfort the people eating it, but wouldn't sit so heavily on them.

Spaghetti Sauce

• 12 plum Tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cans Crushed Tomatoes
• 3 stalks Celery, finely chopped
• 2 medium Onions, chopped 
• 1 medium Green Pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Ketchup (I always use Heinz when cooking.. just 'cause it's a better product than No-Name ketchups.)
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Now, what you'll want to do is start with the celery, onion and green pepper. Throw those in the bottom of the pot with the oil and half the garlic, on medium, and cook while stirring until the onion is translucent. Then you'll want to add the fresh tomatoes, and cook it for about ten minutes or so, stirring slowly now and again, until the tomatoes have released their juice. Next, add the canned tomatoes, the rest of the garlic and the ketchup, stir it all together and switch the heat to medium-low (two or three on the stove), cover with a lid, and let it handle itself for about an hour, stirring once every ten minutes or so to keep things moving around. *You'll be adding the meatballs into this sauce eventually, so make sure you have room for about twenty-two of them in your pot.

Meatballs

• 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp dried Parsley
• 1 tsp dried Oregano
• 1 1/2 pounds ground Veal
• 1 1/2 pounds ground Beef 
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil

Alright, get a big mixing bowl, and a smaller one. Start by whisking the eggs and milk together, then adding the Panko to it along with the parsley and oregano. Let sit to the side while you combine the meat in a bowl with the olive oil. Once the Panko has soaked into the egg and milk mix, stir it up and drop it in with the meat. With clean, moist hands, mix the meat and bread together, then form it into twenty-two (or so) meatballs, each about the size of a tablespoon. Cook them in the oil, rotating for shape retention, until all sides are browned, then plop them carefully into your sauce to finish cooking through. Serve over pasta!

And that's it! Because y'all should be able to boil pasta.. Right? Right?!