Cubical Meatball Sauce over pasta

2 pounds of super lean ground beef -- 93% lean *
4 oz crumbled fat-free saltine crackers
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
6 six oz cans tomato paste
10 large bay leaves
water as needed
MSG (optional)
your choice of pasta
grated parmesan cheese

Mix beef, saltines and olive oil **. Form into cubical meatballs
1"-1-1/4"
square. Fry each side to very brown in a non-stick skillet.

Combine water and bay leaves, and heat to simmering for at least a half
an hour, Then add the tomato paste and additional water as needed.
Heat to simmer, stirring often.
Add the meatballs to the sauce, and continue to simmer for 1 hour or
more, gently stirring
occasionally, being careful not to scorch the sauce. Serve over pasta
(I prefer cappellini
or vermicelli) with grated parmesan.

The simplicity of ingredients makes for an intensely tomatoey
experience.
I suggest that everyone be warned about the bay leaves, since
they can be a choking hazard. You may wish to fish them out before
serving
the sauce, ESPECIALLY for young children or elderly.

Note that very thin pastas, vermicelli and moreso capellini can get
mushy if you are not careful to cook them al dente. The sauce only
seems to improve after being refigerated and reheated.
Toss any leftover pasta and make it fresh each time.
Bon apetit.

* If you can get 97% lean ground beef, increase the olive oil to 4 Tbs.
** You might also wish to add 1/8 tsp MSG to meatball mixture

Bryan http://MySpace.com/BoboBonobo