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The recent funeral-induced collection of family gatherings included a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs at my Lawrence sister’s house. One sister brought salad, I brought meatballs and sauce, Lawrence sister boiled water (and she says she can’t cook) and heated the garlic bread her husband prepared, and distant sister brought Apples to Apples to play afterward. (Note: Game has nothing to do with food.) We had something good for dessert. Just can’t remember what, owing, perhaps, to the wine.

Lawrence sister wants my meatball recipe, so I figured I’d share it here as long as I’m typing it. Allow me to make a couple of stipulations, however:

1. I didn’t use a recipe.
2. I’m working from memory, and I’ll be the first to admit my memory isn’t memorable.

So here it is, I think, more or less.

Meatballs and sauce for spaghetti
For the meatballs

• 1 1/2 cups (approximately) fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs (see note)
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 2.5 pounds local ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup minced onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (1 large clove)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup finely chopped spinach (cleaning out the produce drawer)
• 1/4 cup olive oil

For the sauce

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 (28-ounce) cans organic crushed tomatoes
• Water
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 3 spindly sprigs rosemary (see yesterday’s post)
• 2 fresh bay leaves (ditto)
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon sugar

1. Combine bread crumbs and milk in large bowl; let sit a couple of minutes for milk to be absorbed.
2. Add ground beef, eggs, onion, 1 teaspoon garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and spinach. Mix well. (It’s easiest if you just go ahead and do it with your hands.)
3. Heat olive oil in extra-large fry pan over medium-high heat. Begin forming meat into 1 1/2-inch balls. When oil is hot, add meatballs. Turn occasionally till they are browned all over. Drain off fat, if there is any.
4. Add tablespoon garlic to bottom of the pan; let it simmer a minute to soften, then add tomatoes. Add 1/4 cup or so water to each can and swirl it around to rinse down, and add to the pan. Add oregano, basil, rosemary, bay leaves, cayenne and sugar. Stir around to distribute herbs.
5. When mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer an hour or so, partly covered, until you’re ready to eat. Add more water or cover completely if thinner sauce is desired. Serve over hot cooked pasta. Makes about 12 servings.

Notes: I used two slices of Farm to Market 100% whole wheat bread. I left them sitting on the counter an hour or two (turned once) to dry out a bit, then tossed them in the food processor till they were fluffy crumbs. I think I minced the onions with the spinach in the food processor, too. Can’t remember. If you’re fussier than I am, you might combine all the sauce ingredients except the garlic in a bowl before adding to the pan.

So that’s it, at least as far as my memory serves. Adjust as you see fit. If anybody makes the recipe, let me know how it worked for you. If you love it, it’s due to my recipe. If it’s crummy, blame it on my memory or your poor cooking skills. I think that covers everything.

Photo by Clara Natoli at morguefile.com