ORIGINAL RECIPE

John’s Favourite Dish

Original Recipe by his Daughter Laurie Salvador, BC Notary in Sidney By the Sea

Spaghetti and Meatballs with Fresh Tomato Sauce

©iStockphoto.com/Anna_Shepulova

MEATBALLS

½ lb. ground pork 1 lb. extra lean ground beef (or ground turkey) ½ lb. ground veal ¾ cup rolled oats 2 tbsp. takii umami powder (substitute ground dried shitake mushrooms) 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper 1 tsp. celery salt 1 tsp. ground oregano (substitute ground cumin) 1 medium onion, finely diced 1 shallot, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 large egg, beaten 1½ cup ground bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or food processor and stir to combine. Form balls (the size is up to you) and roll them in the bread crumbs. Place balls on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on how big they are. You want them brown but not too well done. Remove from oven. At this point, you can add them to the tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to 300° F and bake them for 30 to 45 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen medium-sized meatballs. Note: You can freeze them for future use. FRESH TOMATO SAUCE 12 pounds fresh field tomatoes 1 large onion 1 fresh carrot, minced or grated 2 garlic cloves ¼ cup good olive oil 1 small can organic tomato paste Salt and pepper to taste (porcini mushroom-flavoured salt is nice) ½ tsp. fresh ground cinnamon (optional for a sweeter sauce) Wash tomatoes and remove stems. Immerse tomatoes in boiling water until the skin breaks, then remove them from the water with a wire basket. Run them through a tomato sieve so only the juice and pulp come through for the sauce. Cool. Note: Tomato skin can be hard to digest and the seeds can make your sauce bitter. Hint: Google “tomato sieve.” In a large deep pan, sauté the onion in the olive oil on medium/low heat, then add the carrot and garlic. When soft, add the tomato paste. Stir often so the mixture doesn’t burn. Add tomatoes and sauté to the desired consistency. Tomatoes will reduce in volume to about half the original amount. Reduce further, if you prefer a really thick sauce. Process in jars or freeze in individual bags in sufficient sizes for your cooking needs. s