Sayonara Subway!
Let’s get back to that tomato sauce! And another recipe that you can make ahead and keep in the freezer! Meatballs!
Peaches and tomatoes were both in prime season when I made this, a combination I had experienced at a Trends on Trends event at the fantastic Achilles’ Heel. I wouldn't have thought to combine the two, but chef Lee Desrosiers luckily did and I shamelessly copied him here.
I decided that combo with my fresh tomato sauce and some pork meatballs would be super delicious.
I will admit, I cheat a bit to make things easier on myself and I just doctor some sausage with the casings taken off to make meatballs. But hey, they are still delicious and it’s not much different than ground pork anyway. When you buy the sausage at the butcher counter, just ask them to take it out of the casing and save yourself a boatload of time.
The recipe makes a ton of meatballs which when sliced make for an excellent sandwich filling. Make a bunch, wrap them in foil, store them in the freezer and thaw them out a few at a time!
“Forget Jared” Pork Meatball Sub with Peach and Busted Cherry Tomato Sauce
Makes roughly 2 dozen small meatballs and enough sauce for 4 sandwiches
For the Meatballs:
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup whole milk, at room temp
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
-2 large eggs, at room temp
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 pounds mild pork sausage, casings removed
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ripe peaches, sliced
- 1 carton whole cherry tomatoes
½ cup prepared tomato sauce (or good quality store bought would work too!)
For Assembly:
- 4 good quality semolina rolls or hoagies
- 10-12 slices of fresh mozzarella
- Arugula
We’ll do this in three separate steps:
First the meatballs! Preheat your oven to 400˚F. Get out a large bowl and combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan, basil, parsley, milk, tomato paste, salt, pepper, eggs, garlic and onions. Use a wooden spoon to stir it up and blend. Then add the pork sausage meat and, using your fingers, mix all the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Using a small ice cream scoop (like this), or just eyeball it, to form the meat mixture into 1 ½ inch balls. You should have about 2 dozen when you’re done. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil making sure they have some space in between them. Drizzle them with some olive oil and throw them in the oven to bake for about 15 minutes, until they are cooked through.
On to the sauce. Take down a large sauté pan and heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the peaches and sauté for about 2-3 minutes until they start to soften. Then add the whole cherry tomatoes and turn the heat up a bit. Continue to sauté, stirring occasionally for a few minutes. Then cover the pan and let it cook undisturbed for 5 minutes or so, until the cherry tomatoes are about to burst. Now add the prepared tomato sauce and mix and heat the sauce through.
For assembly, slice the roll lengthwise and assemble your sandwich on the bottom half. Take the meatballs and slice them so that the pieces are flat. Assemble as many meatballs as you want on the roll. Then layer some mozzarella on top of that along with some arugula leaves. Then spoon the sauce with lots of peaches and tomatoes over it all and place the top on the roll. NOTE: If you’re actually taking this to work for lunch, I would recommend bringing the sauce in a separate container and saucing the sandwich right before you eat it. Otherwise… well it’s a mess!
Cut it in half and forget about Jared and his silly $5 footlongs forever!