Lou Merloni is an infielder for the Boston Red Sox. He contributed this recipe to a book put together by the Red Sox players' wives, entitled "Crowding the Plate". All proceeds from the sale of the book benefit the Children's Aids Program at Boston Medical Center.

Unfortunately, I don't think this book is still available...it was a limited edition. Anyway, enjoy the recipe!

For the sauce:
Olive oil (about 1-2 T)
2 large onions, chopped
1 small piece of salt pork (about 1/4 lb)
1 lb. ground pork or beef
1 (12 oz) or 2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
Water
1/4 cup parsley (fresh or dried)
1/4 cup Italian seasoning
Dash of hot pepper
Meatballs (see below)

In a large saucepan (at least 5 quart), heat the olive oil. Add the onions and salt pork, and cook until the onions are brown. (I usually throw in a few cloves of minced garlic when the onions are almost browned, although this is not part of the original recipe).

Add the meat, and brown. (I prefer pork...you could also use hot or sweet Italian sausage, just remove it from the casings and crumble.)

Stir in the tomato paste, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree, then fill the can with water and stir that into the sauce. Add the herbs & spices, drop in the meatballs, and simmer for 3 hours.

For the meatballs:
2 pounds ground beef
3 cups Italian bread crumbs
3 eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Just mix it all together and form into 2-inch balls. Try not to overwork the meat, or else it will cook up tough.

This makes kind of a lot, so if you're not feeding a large family, this freezes well. Any leftovers also make excellent meatball subs...just split a sub roll (don't cut it in half all the way), and spoon in some of the meatballs and sauce. If you'd like, sprinkle some grated cheese on it, then place it in the toaster oven (or a conventional oven), and heat until cheese is melted and sandwich is warmed through...just a few minutes. It's messy, but yummie!

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