Fresh Tomato Sauce with Basil and Meatballs
Posted by Yasmine on Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Under: Pasta
- 6 large tomatoes, ripe
- 3 medium sized onions, diced
- 8 cloves garlic, sliced
- 30 meatballs, preferably frozen
- 4 sprigs basil
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 1 medium sized eggplant, sliced
- 8 tablespoons oil, to fry the eggplant
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 750 grams Tortiglioni Pasta
- 6 liters water, boiling
- 1 ½ tablespoons salt
To Prepare the Eggplants:
Slice the eggplants into 1/2 inch slices and place them layered in a colander coved with salt and let drain for about 15 minutes.
Rinse slices and dry thoroughly on a kitchen cloth or paper towel. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a small non-stick frying pan.
Drop in the dry eggplant slices and let them fry until the bottom side is light brown then turn them over until you achieve the same result.
Place them on a dish with paper towel to drain the excess oil.
Once cool, cut into bite-sized bits.
To Prepare the Sauce:
Cut the tomatoes into small cubes ( I personally leave the skin, but you may remove it if desired). Set aside.
Warm up a little oil in a frying pan and put in the garlic slices.
Once the slices have turned white, add the onions and cook them until after they've become transparent and start caramelizing.
Add the tomatoes and cover the pan to keep all moisture inside.
Once the tomatoes start getting creamy ( this may take about 20-30 minutes) you may season with salt and pepper and add some basil leaves.
At this point, let everything cook together for another 10 minutes and add the frozen meatballs.
Cover and cook until meatballs are ready. Remove from heat.
To Prepare the Pasta:
In the pan where you've got the boiling water add the 1 1/2 tbsp of salt.
Cover the pan and wait until it resumes boiling.
Add the pasta and mix every once in awhile to make sure they don't stick together.
When the pasta is "al dente" (about 6 minutes of cooking) drain the pasta and put it in a large bowl.
From here you mustn't waste time so the pasta doesn't get cold. To help that you may like to warm up the sauce a few minutes before you put the pasta in the water.
So, add a few ladlefuls of sauce to the pasta and mix well.
Once you make the dish by spooning some of the pasta onto it top with off with another spoonful of sauce, meatballs, the fried eggplants and a few leaves of fresh basil.
Serve hot with a touch of Toscanello.
Buono appetito!
Slice the eggplants into 1/2 inch slices and place them layered in a colander coved with salt and let drain for about 15 minutes.
Rinse slices and dry thoroughly on a kitchen cloth or paper towel. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a small non-stick frying pan.
Drop in the dry eggplant slices and let them fry until the bottom side is light brown then turn them over until you achieve the same result.
Place them on a dish with paper towel to drain the excess oil.
Once cool, cut into bite-sized bits.
To Prepare the Sauce:
Cut the tomatoes into small cubes ( I personally leave the skin, but you may remove it if desired). Set aside.
Warm up a little oil in a frying pan and put in the garlic slices.
Once the slices have turned white, add the onions and cook them until after they've become transparent and start caramelizing.
Add the tomatoes and cover the pan to keep all moisture inside.
Once the tomatoes start getting creamy ( this may take about 20-30 minutes) you may season with salt and pepper and add some basil leaves.
At this point, let everything cook together for another 10 minutes and add the frozen meatballs.
Cover and cook until meatballs are ready. Remove from heat.
To Prepare the Pasta:
In the pan where you've got the boiling water add the 1 1/2 tbsp of salt.
Cover the pan and wait until it resumes boiling.
Add the pasta and mix every once in awhile to make sure they don't stick together.
When the pasta is "al dente" (about 6 minutes of cooking) drain the pasta and put it in a large bowl.
From here you mustn't waste time so the pasta doesn't get cold. To help that you may like to warm up the sauce a few minutes before you put the pasta in the water.
So, add a few ladlefuls of sauce to the pasta and mix well.
Once you make the dish by spooning some of the pasta onto it top with off with another spoonful of sauce, meatballs, the fried eggplants and a few leaves of fresh basil.
Serve hot with a touch of Toscanello.
Buono appetito!
In : Pasta