Meatballs and Peppers
This variation on meatballs in tomato sauce is an attractive and delicious treat, served with crusty
Italian or French bread, perhaps some rice, and a salad of mixed greens with vinagrette
or fines herbes dressing.
Meatballs
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound lean ground veal
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 1/4 cup fine white bread crumbs (or matzah meal for Passover)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 T. dried parsley flakes
- 1 tsp. crushed garlic
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 3 T. olive oil
Peppers
- 2 pounds peppers, use a mixture of green, red, and yellow
- 4 T. olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced thinly, (about 1 1/2 cup)
- 4 cups crushed tomatoes (canned)
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
In a medium bowl, combine meat, eggs, and 3/4 cup bread crumbs; add salt and
pepper to taste, parsley, garlic, and cinnamon. Mix well. With oiled hands,
shape mixture into 30 elongated balls, and roll them in the remaining 1/2 cup
bread crumbs. Heat 3 T. oil in a large dutch oven or stew pot; add meat
balls, and fry in a single layer. Repeat until all balls are fried. Remove
the fried meatballs to a plate.
Wash the peppers. Remove the seeds and cores.
Cut the peppers into long strips.
Place in the pot used to fry the meatballs, with oil, onion, tomatoes, and small amounts of salt
and pepper. Add the meatballs back to the pot
with the peppers. Cook, covered, over low heat for about 30 minutes.
Add the wine and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, 15 minutes longer,
or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is thick.
Be careful to watch the pepper mixture so that it does not burn. Shake the pot every few minutes to keep
the peppers, onions, and tomatoes well distributed. Serves 6-8.