Heat olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add vegetables and fry for about 8 minutes. Crush the tomatoes by hand and add them to the pot with the juice. Bring to the boil, add sugar and salt and reduce the heat.
Please simmer for 45 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Mix in chopped basil or parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set the sauce aside.
Preheat oven to 185 °C. Lightly oil a baking tray. Mix the bread and milk in a medium-sized bowl, tearing the bread apart with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well with your hands.
With wet hands form 3 cm large balls. Place these golf balls on the baking tray. Bake until the balls are light brown and cooked through, about 30 minutes. Add to the sauce.
Boil the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water until they are al dente, i.e. still have some bite. Drain and place on a serving dish. Bring the sauce with the dumplings to a boil. Spread over the spaghetti and add the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. And don't forget to stuff the napkin into your shirt collar! Tastes great with polenta too
Recipe: Cynthia Barcomi, from "Kochbuch für Feste", Mosaik Verlag