Serendipity is a wonderful thing.
I found a couple of recipes on the web; one for pork meatballs and one for penne arrabiata that were yummy by themselves, and I wondered what they might be like together.
You tell me. :-)
I modified them a bit, to suit my taste, and here's the result:
For the meatballs:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 slice of bread, crumbled
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup grated, but not packed, Romano cheese. (Parmesan is OK)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (table salt is OK)
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 pound ground pork
2 packets of Herbox sodium free beef bouillon sprinkled into 2 cups of boiling water, or 2 cups of beef broth.
For the sauce:
1 teaspoon of the best olive oil you can afford.
1 cup of chopped yellow onion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of white sugar
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon of dried basil leaf
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes for mild heat, or...
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of coarse ground black pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans of peeled and diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Directions:
For the meatballs:
In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients thoroughly, then crumble in the pork and mix well.
Scoop the mixture into heaping tablespoons and shape into 1-1/2" to 2" diameter balls (the goal is 12 balls) and set aside.
In a skillet, bring the beef broth to a boil over medium high heat, then place the meatballs into the broth in one layer.
Reduce heat to lowish, then cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Turn the meatballs and cook until the the middle is no longer pink, another 5-10 minutes, YMMV.
Remove the meatballs from the broth with a slotted spoon, set aside, and discard the broth.
For the sauce:
Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium high heat and, when it shimmers, reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions turn translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the white sugar, basil, pepper, tomato paste, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and tomatoes.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
Add the meatballs and continue simmering until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Ladle over hot al dente penne.
Buon Appetito!
JF