porcupine meatballs over creamy mashed cauliflower

~The Sauce ~
ingredients
1 (14 ounce) canned chopped tomatoes, with juices
1/4 cup extra Virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 stalk celery, diced,
1 small carrot, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 cup heavy cream, optional
~Meatballs~
ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 cup white rice
1 egg scrambled lightly
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon oregano

directions

in a deep pot, heat oil over medium heat. add the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic, and cook until softened, about 10 min. While those are cooking, start working on the meatballs- in a large mixing bowl, crumble ground beef. add rice, egg, rosemary, and oregano, mix with your hands just enough to incorporate the ingredients together. form 1-1 1/2" meatballs, and set aside.  add  chopped canned tomatoes and juice,  chicken broth, and butter to the pot. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and cream, if using. Puree, either with an immersion blender or in a seperate blender (and return to pot). Add meatballs and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes, or until meatballs are done. Serve over Creamy Mashed Cauliflower, recipe follows.

creamy mashed cauliflower

~ingredients~

1 head cauliflower. greens removed
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk or buttermilk
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons butter or to taste
salt and pepper to taste

directions

Wash and cut the cauliflower into more or less even pieces. in a 2 qt saucepan, pour milk, water, and broth. bring to boil over med-high heat. add cauliflower, lower heat, and simmer 5-1o minutes, until softened. Drain cauliflower, reserving the liquids. Puree cauliflower and butter in a food processor until smooth. Add enough of the reserved liquids until it reaches desired consisency.