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Revisit to an old classic: Blog post circa 2010–same great recipe….there’s just a couple photos that remind me that my skills have improved just a little bit.

Do it, do it , just do it.  That’s what I told myself repeatedly as I contemplated starting this blog.  What am I going to write about?  Are web surfers going to read my thoughts?  Are my thoughts intriguing enough to create conversation?  After living through the latest global pandemic,  I came to the conclusion…Who cares?!?  Once I realized my life is a journey, and really a journey for myself-I should just write about my life.  The here, the now.  Welcome to my journey….If you care to join. 
 
As an adult, it is rare to be where I am.  Montana is beautiful, and am pretty content in my career.  Cooking is a passion.  I love to cook and realize that creating and reading recipes from inspirational “chefs” ..is a lot like living.  What do I need to add?  What’s going to spice up my life?  Do I need garlic?  Is there too much salt?  Aren’t these the questions of everyday life?  I feel like I ask myself a couple of these questions on the daily, don’t you?  
 

On Thursday I began to ask these very questions.  As I thought about new dinner ideas, I decided to make the ol’ tried and true spaghetti meal.  Blah blah blah.  I guess I’ll just throw it together and call it good, but……… I couldn’t get past the blah part of my thoughts.  Why does it need to be blah, bland, vanilla?  It is harvest time here in North Central Montana (or extended harvest due to heavier amounts of moisture we’ve received this year), and the garden has produced hundreds and hundreds of juicy tomatoes.  How could I let these tomatoes go to waste?  How can I use them without adding another jar of canned tomatoes to the shelf?  So I decided it should be from scratch with organic fresh garden vegetables and this was the route I needed to go.  Drawing a little inspiration from Martha Stewart, Julia Child, and even local hero Greg Patent-I was on my way. Here’s my map if you choose to follow: 

Harvest Meatball Marinara with Italian Sausage

This homemade pasta marinara sauce isn’t your traditional Italian grandmother’s marinara, but the addition of Italian sausage and plenty of garlic cooks up like a quick delicious Bolognese.
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Ingredients
  

Meatballs:

  • In a mixing bowl combine:
  • 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
  • 2 Italian sausages taken out of the casing
  • 1 large beaten egg
  • 8 oz. cremini mushrooms minced
  • 1 medium Walla Walla onion minced
  • 1-2 heaping tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup flavored dry bread crumbs I used basil & garlic
  • 1/8 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Marinara Sauce:

  • 2 lbs. of tomatoes peeled and diced
  • 2 tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1 large Walla Walla Onion chopped yellow or red will work
  • 1 Italian sausage out of the casing
  • 1 tbsp.

Instructions
 

For the Meatballs:

  • Once all the ingredients are combined thoroughly, start to make meatballs. Combine ground beef, Italian sausage, egg, mushrooms, onions garlic, bread crumbs, olive oil, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl until they just come together. Over mixing can cause a tough meatball. If you feel you have over worked and compacted the meat, fluff the entire mixture with a fork-loosening and incorporating a bit of air into the mixture. Then using an ice cream scoop, scoop out about 16 meat balls onto a sheet pan.. Cut each one in half and roll into a ball This will create the perfect size meatball and double the amount.
  • On Medium to medium-high heat, coat the bottom of a nonstick skillet with olive oil. Brown each meatball on all sides, and set it aside.

For the Marinara Sauce:

  • In the same large skillet used for the meatballs, wipe out the used oil and add another tablespoon of olive oil to coat the bottom again, and set to medium heat. (sometimes, using the leftover oil is ok as it adds flavor, but frying in batches can over brown the bits and cause a bitterness that needs to be removed)
  • Combine onion, garlic, and sauté until soft. (continue to stir to prevent garlic from burning)
  • Next, add the sausage and cook- breaking it up into small browned pieces.
  • now add tomatoes and season with salt, pepper, and any dry Italian seasoning about a 1 tbs. Reduce heat and simmer until tomatoes have cooked down and become more liquidy. Once this has happened remove it from heat.
  • The next step is to add a couple of ladles full of sauce and add to a blender or food mill and blend until it has a more smooth texture. (it’s important to do it a little at a time to prevent a mess).
  • Once smooth simmer for an hour or so to meld the flavors. When you are about an hour away from eating. add the meatballs and let them finish cooking with the sauce.
  • Serve with a good quality spaghetti, and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. (it really can make a difference)