Meat Balls 'n Sauce

recipe courtesy of Vicki Scott

Ingredients
Balls
1.5 lbs ground sirloin
2 eggs, beaten until subdued
1 pkg Onion Soup mix
1/4 c. ketchup
dash of Worchestire Sauce
3/4 c. seasoned bread crumbs

Sauce
1/4 c. margarine
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 c. water
1 can tomato soup
1 can chicken & rice soup

Preparation
Sauce
Melt margarine on medium-low heat. Sweat veg until tender. Add water and soups, bring to light boil. While coming to a boil, make the balls.

Balls
Mix all ingredients together and roll into 1.5" balls. Drop balls into sauce, keep space between them to they don't stick together. Cook on medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Tomato Sauce

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Show: Good Eats
Episode: Tomatoes
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 4 cups

20 Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup finely diced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme leaves
1 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans place tomato halves cut side up. Sprinkle with oil, salt and pepper, onion, garlic, and herbs. Bake tomatoes for 2 hours. Check the tomatoes after 1 hour and turn down the heat if they seem to be cooking too quickly. Then turn the oven to 400 degrees and bake another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and process tomatoes through a food mill on medium dye setting over a small saucepan. Discard skins. Add white wine, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.

Pantry Friendly Tomato Sauce

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Show: Good Eats
Episode: Seeing Red
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 1.5 quarts

2 (28-ounce) cans whole, peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
2 ounces olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup white wine
Kosher salt and black pepper, to tasteIn a sieve over a medium non-reactive saucepot, strain the tomatoes of their juice into the sauce pot. Add the sherry vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, oregano, and basil to the tomato juice. Stir and cook over high heat. Once bubbles begin to form on the surface, reduce to a simmer. Allow liquid to reduce by 1/2 or until liquid has thickened to a loose syrup consistency.

Squeeze each tomato thoroughly to ensure most seeds are removed. Set the tomatoes aside.

Cut carrot, onion, and celery into uniform sizes and combine with olive oil and garlic in a non-reactive roasting pan over low heat. Sweat the mirepoix until the carrots are tender and the onion becomes translucent, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the tomatoes and capers to the roasting pan.

Place roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven and broil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Tomatoes should start to brown slightly on edges with light caramelization. Remove the pan from the broiler. Place the pan over 2 burners on the stove. Add the white wine to the tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes over medium heat.

Put the tomatoes into a deep pot or bowl and add the reduced tomato liquid to the tomatoes. Blend to desired consistency and adjust seasoning.