Walking a Little Italy

No, not a stroll in the city
Nor a flight from home to an Italian stay
Though
What would be better on a grey March day
And far better than the taste of St.patricks a week early
in this Republic I call home.

Well canned tomatoes and a toss of pasta
Are things I call home, my childhood,
Life before the roam
So what better way to soothe a tired soul
weary feet
and shortness of patience with the way things are
than with a stew, a sauce, marinara
A vegetarian gravy, to some
With meatless-meatballs for the rest of you
or just me, I was
happy.

High atop Spinach Linguine

Veggie Meatballs in Red Veggie Gravy

• 1 24-oz can diced tomatoes, something like San Marzano is always worth it
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced and diced
• 2 Tbsp Tomato paste, dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• 1 medium white onion, minced
• 1 tsp EVoo
• 1/2 bell pepper, minced
• 1/2 yellow squash, minced
• 1/2 cup Red Wine
• any leftover veggies on hand, like Kale, bamboo shoots* (believe it or not)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Water to reach the desired consistency
• 1 tsp Paprika + 1 tbsp Basil + Oregano
• all I got is sum' Herbs de provence, desolee...

For the meatless spheres:

• 1 Package Light Life meatless Beef
• 1/2 cup Oatmeal
• 2 tbsp Wheat Bran
• 1 tbsp Minced garlic
• 1 tbsp more of that herb mixture
• 1 egg

To Begin

Preheat the oven to 350F for the baking of the meatless balls. Combine all ingredients and form into compact meatballs of your preferred size. Place on parchment paper and bake for 20-30 minutes, until browning and firm. They are tough to over-bake but it can be done.

Then

Sautee the garlic and onions over low heat until aromatic and lightly sweating. Add squash and peppers, continuing to heat but over medium heat. After several moments add the wine and spices, allowing some of the liquid to boil off (about half). Now, I used a Crockpot but you could make this quickly in a stockpot on the stove or even in the oven. Add contents of pan to the diced tomatoes in the Crockpot and heat over high heat for 2 hours, reduce to low for up to 5 more hours until ready to serve. Nestle those meatless spherical jewels into the sauce, covering with a bit of the un-thickened liquid.

Serve 

over Pasta, some frozen Spaghetti Squash (oh the wonders of my freezer) or Rice.

As a child I could eat disparaging amounts of Shells with Rice, topped with sauce.

Odd

Even?

Learning lessons?

We all grow up, some too soon and some too late. Despite disgust, sometimes the simplest comforts are those learned young.