This sauce differs from the one our Grandmother Becce made at the farm. We always understood that is because “the wife” had to learn and make her husband’s family’s sauce. So grandma would have learned this from Mamanonn’, grandpa’s grandmother….the Avigianese sauce.I had remembered that we made the sauce every other week and it served for the 2 Sundays following. Auntie Jo remembers that we made it every Saturday. What is certain is that we had macaroni every Sunday without fail.First: 2 pounds of Italian sausage (hot or sweet, preferably hot) go into a frying pan and is almost covered with water. Then the sausage is punctured all over with a fork. Let that cook down until all the water is gone and the sausage browns on one side. (If today’s sausage is too lean you may have to add olive oil to get it to brown) Turn and brown other side. Add 2 small cans of tomato paste and 2 cans of water, salt, pepper, basil, fresh if you have it. Let simmer.Meanwhile make the meatballs: 2 pounds ground beef, 4 or 5 (or 6) crushed garlic, 2 eggs, breadcrumbs, chopped parsley (grandma used dried, AJ and I use fresh) oregano, basil, good amount of parmagian’ , salt, pepper, milk at the end to soften. These are then rolled into balls and put into an OVENPROOF PAN with olive oil on the bottom of the pan. Roll the meatballs around until they are coated in the olive oil. Bake in a 350 oven for roughly 30 minutes. Turn part way through to brown on all sides.Bring to stove top and to the pan of meatballs add 2 large cans of plum tomatoes, whatever you like best. First pour it into a bowl and squish with your (clean) hands. Add salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. Let cook a while half an hour or so.THEN Join the contents of both pans into a large pan. Add 2 small cans of sauce (sauce? As in Hunt’s sauce, a puree as opposed to the concentrated “conserva” paste) and 2 cans of water. LET ALL THIS COOK TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME. 2- 3 hours. Add more salt pepper basil oregano. Grandma always warned us about too much oregano and AJ agrees. I have not had bad experience with oregano and do use it liberally.
