Paletta's Famous Italian Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs

Source: Paletta's Imported Foods & Deli, San Antonio, Texas

Sauce
4 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound meat - your choice of pork chops, brisket,
    veal chops or chicken (optional)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste, diluted with 3 cans hot water
1 (28 ounce) can peeled tomatoes, plus 1 can water
Paletta's Special Spices (available at Paletta's), to taste
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Dried or canned mushrooms (optional)

Meatballs
1 pound veal, finely ground
1 pound pork, finely ground
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Olive oil, to fry meatballs (optional)

To Serve
Mozzarella cheese
Submarine sandwich rolls
Grated Parmesan cheese

OR

1 pound spaghetti
Salt
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

For Sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add meat if desired, and cook until meat is browned on all sides. Add tomato paste diluted with hot water. Strain tomatoes through a sieve (or pass through a food mill), and add along with 1 can water. Add Paletta's Special Spices, salt and pepper. Add mushrooms if desired. (If using dried mushrooms, wash thoroughly and soak in hot water for about 20 minutes. Add mushrooms and the strained water in which they have been soaked.) Bring to a boil, cook for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer gently for 2 hours, skimming off extra fat as it rises to the surface.

For Meatballs: In a large bowl combine the ground veal, ground pork, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, cheese, salt and pepper, and enough hot water (about 1/3 cup) to allow the ingredients to mix well. Gently shape into balls, then cook in sauce or fry in olive oil, then add to sauce to complete the cooking.

To Finish Meatball Sub: Layer sauce, meatballs and mozzarella cheese on roll, and top with Parmesan.

To Finish Spaghetti and Meatballs: Add spaghetti and salt to a large pot of boiling water. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until tender. Do not overcook. Put a layer of spaghetti on a large platter. Add a layer of sauce, then sprinkle with grated cheese. Repeat two more times, then mix with two forks. Serve, topped with Meatballs and Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Makes 4-5 servings.