Marinara Sauce

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp. Remove from pot. (I saved these cracklin’s and use them on salad.)

Add onions and saute for about three minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and saute until soft.

Add tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 45 minutes. Season with basil, oregano or marjoram, salt and pepper. Cook for another minute and taste for seasonings.

Red Wine Meatballs

In a mixing bowl combine meats. I do this with my hands. Messy but it works. Add eggs, cheese, parsley, garlic and salt and pepper.

Add bread crumbs and mix well. Slowly add up to 2 cups of red wine, 1/2 c at a time, until the mixture is moist. You may not need all the wine. Shape into 1 1/2″ meatballs.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Being careful not to crowd the pan, add the meatballs and fry until each side is brown and slightly crisp. (About 5-6 minutes on each side.) You may have to do this in batches.

Transfer cooked meatballs to paper towels to drain, then add to the marinara sauce. (You may keep these warm in the sauce. I also made these ahead and then brought them to room temperature as I reheated the sauce. Place them in the sauce for about 10 minutes on low to warm them.) Serve on toothpicks or over pasta or in a sandwich!