Spicy Meatball Sandwich (Recipe)

This recipe is reminiscent of a meatball dish I had in Spain. Warm, tomato-y and spicy, this is something I would consider comfort food. Here's what I did.

For the meatballs, I took 1 lb. ground beef and hand-mixed it with 1 egg, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/8 cup dry sherry, 1/8 cup red wine vinegar, 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce, 1/8 cup packed dark brown sugar, 1/8 cup bread crumbs, 1 tbsp. dijon mustard, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. dry chili flakes, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper. After everything was well mixed, I made 1-inch sized meatballs and cooked them in a 10-inch pan over medium heat with about 1 tbsp. of olive oil until browned on all sides. I then turned the heat off, strained the grease out and set them aside.

In a separate bowl I made the tomato sauce mixture. This included one 14.5-oz. can of tomato sauce, 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce, 1/8 cup dry sherry, 1/8 cup honey, 1 tsp. dry chili flakes, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. dry oregano, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. After mixing well, I then turned the heat back on to medium high, poured the tomato sauce mixture back into the pan with the meatballs, brought it all to a boil and then to a simmer on medium low for about 10 minutes until the meatballs were cooked through. Feel free to cut a meatball in half to look inside and make sure there is no more pink.

I then toasted a couple of rolls lightly brushed with melted butter and topped with the meatballs and some sauce. A sharp cheddar or swiss cheese would go well with this too. Any leftovers can be topped over spaghetti or eaten by itself with toothpicks as a finger food.