Baked Meatball Sandwich

When Jan feeds me breakfast like this, he says he has an ulterior motive. He says he wants to fatten me up. For what reason, I’m not sure, but I can almost imagine him channeling the wicked witch from Hansel and Gretel. Kidding aside, I know why he does this. He simply enjoys it.

Ingredients:

½ kilo        ground beef
3 tbsp        tomato paste
2 cups        diced tomatoes
1 cup        water
2 tbsp        dried oregano
2 tbsp        dried basil leaves
2 tbsp        olive oil
1 cup        chopped onions
Salt and pepper
Aluminum foil
Butter
Mozzarella cheese slices
Thick slices of bread

Procedure:

Sauce:

1.    Sautee onions in olive oil until translucent.
2.    Add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste.
3.    Add water.
4.    Add half the dried oregano and basil leaves.
5.    Add salt and pepper to taste.
6.    Let it boil in slow heat.

Meatballs:

1. Mix the remaining basil leaves and oregano with the ground beef.
2. Add salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
3. Form into balls about 2 ½ inches in diameter.
4. Brush aluminium foil with butter and arrange meatballs.
5. Preheat oven for 15 minutes at 200oC and cook the meatballs.

Sauce and Meatballs:

1. Spread tomato sauce on two slices of bread.
2. Arrange 3 meatballs on top of one slice.
3. Pour 1 tablespoon of the tomato sauce over the meatballs and cover with a slice of cheese and the second slice of bread.
4. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

Wife’s Verdict: Jan’s taste often veers towards salty but this one was noticeably subdued. That was just as well though. I think meatballs with tomato sauce are supposed to be low in salt so the real stars of the dish can shine through.

Jan’s Quip: “This is how spaghetti sauce should taste like.”