Meatball sandwich

David Lebovitz is the author and creator of some of my favorite ice cream recipes, and lo and behold, he does savory dishes as well!  This meatball sandwich is delicious, hot, cheesy, tomato sauce-y goodness.  Yummmmmmmmmmmm!

MEATBALL SANDWICH

Yield: 4-6 sandwiches

Ingredients:

For the tomato sauce:

1 medium onion, peeled and minced
Olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 15 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes, with their juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon sugar

For the meatballs:

1 medium onion, peeled and minced
Olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 pound ground beef (not too lean)
1/2 pound ground pork
2 large eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Pecorino cheese
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1 cup dried breadcrumbs or panko
4 tablespoons milk

-Mozzarella or provolone cheese for topping

-Crusty Italian or French bread

Instructions:

1. For the tomato sauce, sauté the minced onion in a good pour of olive oil in a Dutch oven or very large saucepan, seasoning them with a bit of salt and a few generous turns of black pepper, stirring frequently – until the onions start to wilt. Add the garlic and cook until the onions are completely soft and translucent.

2. Add the canned tomatoes, the tomato paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, the bay leaf and the sugar, and let simmer for 10 to 12 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

3. To make the meatballs, sauté the onion in some olive oil in a large skillet, seasoning with a bit of salt and black pepper, stirring frequently, until the onions start to wilt. Add the garlic, and cook until the onions are completely soft and translucent. Remove from heat, scrape into a large bowl, and let cool to room temperature.

4. To the bowl, add the ground beef and pork, the eggs, cheese, parsley, herbs, 1 teaspoon salt, a few generous turns of black pepper, the fennel seeds, the breadcrumbs, and the milk. Use your hands to mix everything together thoroughly.

5. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease them with olive oil.

6. Form meatballs slightly less than the size of unshelled walnuts, and space them evenly apart on the baking sheets. Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven, pluck out the bay leaf, and slide them into the tomato sauce.

7. Heat the sauce with the meatballs in it until everything is warmed through. If the sauce is very thick, it can be thinned with a bit of warm water.

8. To make sandwiches, take crusty French or Italian bread, cut it open almost all the way through. Slice some of the meatballs in half and put them between the bread, pressing down with a fork to meld them with the bread. Top with slices of cheese and heat in a hot oven (about 400ºF), or under a broiler, until the cheese melts.