Cubical Meatball Sauce over pasta

2 pounds of super lean ground beef -- 93% lean *
4 oz crumbled fat-free saltine crackers
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
6 six oz cans tomato paste
10 large bay leaves
water as needed
MSG (optional)
your choice of pasta
grated parmesan cheese

Mix beef, saltines and olive oil **. Form into cubical meatballs
1"-1-1/4"
square. Fry each side to very brown in a non-stick skillet.

Combine water and bay leaves, and heat to simmering for at least a half
an hour, Then add the tomato paste and additional water as needed.
Heat to simmer, stirring often.
Add the meatballs to the sauce, and continue to simmer for 1 hour or
more, gently stirring
occasionally, being careful not to scorch the sauce. Serve over pasta
(I prefer cappellini
or vermicelli) with grated parmesan.

The simplicity of ingredients makes for an intensely tomatoey
experience.
I suggest that everyone be warned about the bay leaves, since
they can be a choking hazard. You may wish to fish them out before
serving
the sauce, ESPECIALLY for young children or elderly.

Note that very thin pastas, vermicelli and moreso capellini can get
mushy if you are not careful to cook them al dente. The sauce only
seems to improve after being refigerated and reheated.
Toss any leftover pasta and make it fresh each time.
Bon apetit.

* If you can get 97% lean ground beef, increase the olive oil to 4 Tbs.
** You might also wish to add 1/8 tsp MSG to meatball mixture

Bryan http://MySpace.com/BoboBonobo

BoboBonobo wrote:
> Cubical Meatball Sauce over pasta
>
> 2 pounds of super lean ground beef -- 93% lean *
> 4 oz crumbled fat-free saltine crackers

"Cubical?" If you're making meatcubes, do it this way - pat the meat
mixture very firmly into a pan that will hold it all in the thickness
you want for the meatcubes.

Dump the meat mixture out on a foil or wax paper surface. Cut the big
slab into cubes. Separate and put on a broiler pan and put in a high
heat oven (about 450 deg. F.) and brown until done.

Much easier than frying one side at a time in a pan on top the stove.

N.

BoboBonobo wrote:
> Cubical Meatball Sauce over pasta
>
> 2 pounds of super lean ground beef -- 93% lean *
> 4 oz crumbled fat-free saltine crackers
> 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
> 6 six oz cans tomato paste
> 10 large bay leaves
> water as needed
> MSG (optional)
> your choice of pasta
> grated parmesan cheese
>
> Mix beef, saltines and olive oil **. Form into cubical meatballs
> 1"-1-1/4"
> square. Fry each side to very brown in a non-stick skillet.
>
> Combine water and bay leaves, and heat to simmering for at least a half
> an hour, Then add the tomato paste and additional water as needed.
> Heat to simmer, stirring often.
> Add the meatballs to the sauce, and continue to simmer for 1 hour or
> more, gently stirring
> occasionally, being careful not to scorch the sauce. Serve over pasta
> (I prefer cappellini
> or vermicelli) with grated parmesan.
>
> The simplicity of ingredients makes for an intensely tomatoey
> experience.
> I suggest that everyone be warned about the bay leaves, since
> they can be a choking hazard. You may wish to fish them out before
> serving
> the sauce, ESPECIALLY for young children or elderly.

In my experience, whole bay leaves are NEVER left in a sauce or any
other dish. They are always fished out before serving. They do sell
powdered bay leaf.

N.

Nancy1 wrote:
> BoboBonobo wrote:
> > Cubical Meatball Sauce over pasta
> >
> > 2 pounds of super lean ground beef -- 93% lean *
> > 4 oz crumbled fat-free saltine crackers
>
> "Cubical?" If you're making meatcubes, do it this way - pat the meat
> mixture very firmly into a pan that will hold it all in the thickness
> you want for the meatcubes.
>
> Dump the meat mixture out on a foil or wax paper surface. Cut the big
> slab into cubes.

Good idea.

> Separate and put on a broiler pan and put in a high
> heat oven (about 450 deg. F.) and brown until done.
>
> Much easier than frying one side at a time in a pan on top the stove.

Easier, but they won't get as well browned. The point of the cube
shape is the six distinct sides, each can be thoroughly browned, and
the cube offers a higher surface area to volume ratio (a pyramid would
be even better, but too hard to shape) than the sphere.
>
> N.

--Bryan

Nancy1 wrote:
> BoboBonobo wrote:
> > Cubical Meatball Sauce over pasta
> >
> > 2 pounds of super lean ground beef -- 93% lean *
> > 4 oz crumbled fat-free saltine crackers
> > 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
> > 6 six oz cans tomato paste
> > 10 large bay leaves
> > water as needed
> > MSG (optional)
> > your choice of pasta
> > grated parmesan cheese
> >
> > Mix beef, saltines and olive oil **. Form into cubical meatballs
> > 1"-1-1/4"
> > square. Fry each side to very brown in a non-stick skillet.
> >
> > Combine water and bay leaves, and heat to simmering for at least a half
> > an hour, Then add the tomato paste and additional water as needed.
> > Heat to simmer, stirring often.
> > Add the meatballs to the sauce, and continue to simmer for 1 hour or
> > more, gently stirring
> > occasionally, being careful not to scorch the sauce. Serve over pasta
> > (I prefer cappellini
> > or vermicelli) with grated parmesan.
> >
> > The simplicity of ingredients makes for an intensely tomatoey
> > experience.
> > I suggest that everyone be warned about the bay leaves, since
> > they can be a choking hazard. You may wish to fish them out before
> > serving
> > the sauce, ESPECIALLY for young children or elderly.
>
> In my experience, whole bay leaves are NEVER left in a sauce or any
> other dish. They are always fished out before serving. They do sell
> powdered bay leaf.

My mother always left them in the sauce, dodging them when serving it
up, that was until a broken piece ended up in my stepfather's throat.
Unfortunately, it didn't kill him. I've tried the powdered leaf, and
it's not the same
>
> N.

--Bryan

BoboBonobo wrote:
> Nancy1 wrote:
> > BoboBonobo wrote:
> > > Cubical Meatball Sauce over pasta
> > >
> > > 2 pounds of super lean ground beef -- 93% lean *
> > > 4 oz crumbled fat-free saltine crackers
> > > 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
> > > 6 six oz cans tomato paste
> > > 10 large bay leaves
> > > water as needed
> > > MSG (optional)
> > > your choice of pasta
> > > grated parmesan cheese
> > >
> > > Mix beef, saltines and olive oil **. Form into cubical meatballs
> > > 1"-1-1/4"
> > > square. Fry each side to very brown in a non-stick skillet.
> > >
> > > Combine water and bay leaves, and heat to simmering for at least a half
> > > an hour, Then add the tomato paste and additional water as needed.
> > > Heat to simmer, stirring often.
> > > Add the meatballs to the sauce, and continue to simmer for 1 hour or
> > > more, gently stirring
> > > occasionally, being careful not to scorch the sauce. Serve over pasta
> > > (I prefer cappellini
> > > or vermicelli) with grated parmesan.
> > >
> > > The simplicity of ingredients makes for an intensely tomatoey
> > > experience.
> > > I suggest that everyone be warned about the bay leaves, since
> > > they can be a choking hazard. You may wish to fish them out before
> > > serving
> > > the sauce, ESPECIALLY for young children or elderly.
> >
> > In my experience, whole bay leaves are NEVER left in a sauce or any
> > other dish. They are always fished out before serving. They do sell
> > powdered bay leaf.
>
> My mother always left them in the sauce, dodging them when serving it
> up, that was until a broken piece ended up in my stepfather's throat.
> Unfortunately, it didn't kill him. I've tried the powdered leaf, and
> it's not the same
> >
> > N.
>
> --Bryan

Yeah, I don't like the powdered, either. As to doing the cubes in the
oven, when I put my round meatballs in the oven on the broiler pan, the
bottoms always get brown along with the sides and top. YMMV.

N.