So it's pasta day here so I thought I share with you my meatball and tomato sauce recipe. Pretty easy to make. Remember, the secret to good italian food is fresh ingredients. Avoid using dried spices whenever you can.

Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

MEATBALLS

• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1/4 pound ground pork
• 1/4 pound ground veal
• 1 cup pre-seasons bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh garlic
• 1 egg, beaten

SAUCE

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 1/2 pounds of fresh peeled tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 12 balls. Store, covered, in refrigerator until needed.
• Puree half of the tomatoes by using a blander or food processor and cube the rest. In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent.
• Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes while stirring occasionally.
• Stir in tomato paste, basil, black pepper add meatballs and simmer 30 minutes more. Serve.

How to Peel Tomatoes

To peel a tomato, first use your paring knife to cut out the stem. Then slice a shallow X in the bottom (blossom) end. Using a slotted spoon, plunge the tomato into boiling water for a few seconds, then plunge it into a bowl of iced water. This will stop the tomato from cooking and further loosen the skin.

*Veal is pretty darn expensive so if you want to sub it with 1/4 pound ground Turkey or just want to go with 1/2 of ground pork then that's fine. Goin full on beef meat is also good.

Bruschetta

3 firm Roma tomatoes, finely diced (about 1 ½ cups)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons diced marinated sun-dried tomatoes

Pinch of dried parsley flakes

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar or Red Wine Viniger

9-10 slices ciabatta bread (or Italian bread)

Directions:

• Toss diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar and salt in a medium bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour.
• When you are ready to serve the dish, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Combine Parmesan cheese with dried parsley in a small bowl. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet.
• Sprinkle a couple of pinches