Spaghetti alla chitarra with tiny meatballs in a blended-soffritto tomato sauce, Teramo style

Blend the carrot and quarter onion with a splash of water to a smooth soffritto; leave the celery out.

Heat four or five tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the pan on medium-low; add the blended soffritto and cook about 7 minutes.

Blend the peeled tomatoes; add the can liquid and then the blended tomatoes to the soffritto.

Break the celery stick and add it; cook the sauce on medium-low 45 minutes to an hour, stirring now and then.

Mix the ground meat with plenty of grated Pecorino, the egg yolk, salt and pepper until the bowl is clean.

With wet hands, roll very small meatballs onto a plate lined with baking paper.

Move some of the sauce to a separate saucepan for the meatballs.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a tablespoon of rock salt; boil the meatballs until they float, about 30 seconds, then lift them into the separate sauce.

Cook the meatballs gently in the sauce on medium-low about 10 minutes so they absorb it.

After just over an hour, remove the celery from the main sauce, salt to taste, turn off the heat and tear in fresh basil.

Cook the fresh spaghetti in the same meatball water, already salted, stirring gently, 2 minutes; keep some pasta water.

Return the sauce to gentle heat, add the pasta and toss with a little pasta water.

Plate the pasta, top with the tiny meatballs and finish with grated Pecorino or Parmigiano.