Tomato Sauce with Little Meatballs

First prepare the sauce: Drain the tomatoes in puree or in juice, reserving the liquid. Strain the captured liquid to hold back the seeds. Using your fingers, push out the excess seeds from each tomato. Chop the tomatoes and set the tomatoes and puree or juice aside.

In a Dutch oven or other heavy pan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the carrots and onion and stir to combine the vegetables with the oil. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, removing the cover only to stir occasionally. The vegetables should soften but not brown.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or in batches in a blender, combine the tomatoes and puree (or the tomatoes, juice, and tomato paste), the basil, and salt. Engage the processor or blender for several seconds to pure.

Add the pureed tomatoes and the water to the pot with the carrots and onion and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low or medium-low so the sauce is at a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from burning on the pot bottom, until the sauce thickens, about 25 minutes. When the sauce is done, set it aside.

While the sauce is simmering, make the meatballs: In a bowl, soak the bread in the milk until softened, about 1 minute (or longer if the bread is stale). Squeeze well to wring out as much liquid as possible. In another bowl, combine the soaked bread with all the remaining meatball ingredients. Using your hands, form the mixture into little balls about the size of walnuts. In a large, deep skillet, pour in enough oil to reach halfway up the sides of the meatballs once they are added to the pan. Place over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough to make the meatballs sizzle, slip the meatballs into the oil, working in batches and leaving enough room around each to prevent crowding. If the meatballs are touching, they will steam rather than fry, and thus not cook properly. Saut the meatballs in the sizzling oil, turning to color evenly, until they are lightly browned all over but not cooked through, about 8 minutes. When they are ready, transfer the meatballs to a platter lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

When all the meatballs have been browned, drain off the excess oil from the skillet but do not discard the bits of meat that cling to the pan bottom. Add a few tablespoons of the tomato sauce to the skillet and, using a wooden spoon, loosen the bits that are stuck to the bottom, stirring them together with the sauce. Add this bit of sauce and the meatballs to the pan of sauce. Cover partially and simmer gently over low heat until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is at serving temperature, about 20 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper.