Boiled Meatballs

Photo: flickr user szlea

Ingredients

1 medium Onion, chopped

3 -(up to)

4 Carrots, sliced in thin rounds

2 -(up to)

3 stalk celery, chopped

2 tablespoons Olive oil

2 tablespoons Red wine (optional)

2 -(up to)

3 Cloves garlic, crushed or sliced or chopped

1 can (22-oz) crushed tomatoes

3/4 pound Ground beef

1 Egg

Italian seasoning

Fresh basil or parsley

Freshly ground pepper

Preparation

In a 5 qt pot, saute the veggies in the oil until soft. Season with some Italian seasoning and the pepper, and add the wine (if you aren't using wine, substitute a little water.) Add the garlic, and continue cooking until the added liquid is mostly gone. Add the crushed tomatoes and an equal volume of water. Bring to a boil.

While waiting for the pot to boil, make the meatballs by combining the ground meat with the egg, more seasoning and pepper, some more garlic or garlic powder and the matzo meal to thicken. Roll into tiny balls less than an inch in diameter. When the soup boils, add the meat balls one by one into the pot, being careful to keep them round. The meatballs will sink to the bottom of the pot at first, but will rise when cooked.

When the last meatball is cooked, taste and add more seasoning (and salt, if you like.) If it looks too thick, add water. At this point, I like to turn off the heat and let the soup sit for an hour or so, but it's fine as soon as the meatballs are cooked. Before serving, chop the basil or parsley and add it to the pot.