Death sandwich: lemon ricotta meatball sub with red sauce and ham

Halve an onion and mince it finely.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until shimmering; saute half the onion until soft and translucent, three to five minutes.

Add the crushed garlic, tomato paste, oregano and red pepper flake; saute until fragrant, 30 seconds to one minute.

Add the can of San Marzano tomatoes and about a quarter can of water; mash smooth with a potato masher.

Add a sprig of basil and hold at a bare simmer over low heat for 45 to 90 minutes.

Saute the other half of the onion with two crushed garlic cloves; cool.

Bunch the parsley and basil into a ball and chop finely.

In a large bowl mix the herbs, ricotta, cooled onion and garlic, panko, lemon zest, egg and parmesan; add the ground pork and mix until homogenous.

Form into very large meatballs.

Heat vegetable oil in a saute pan and brown the meatballs about two minutes on each side.

Finish in a 375F oven for about 20 minutes, until they register 165F.

Season the sauce with kosher salt and pepper and spread it on the bottom half of a submarine roll; stack folded ham across, line the meatballs on top, no cheese, and close.