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01/04/2012 National Spaghetti Day Real Meatballs and Spaghetti

Source of Recipe

Ina Garten


Recipe Introduction

Who doesn't love a plate full of spaghetti and meatballs? It is certainly a worldwide favorite! In the year 2000, 1.3 million pounds of spaghetti were sold in American grocery stores. If all of those packages were lined up, they could circle the Earth nine times! It was the Chinese who first invented pasta but it was the Italians who revolutionized this famous dish. Marco Polo brought the recipe for pasta back with him to Europe after his famous trip to the Middle Kingdom during the 13th century. Over the years, Italians have invented a wide variety of pasta shapes and sauces to enhance the taste of pasta including farfalle, rotini, penne, tortellini, and last but not least, spaghetti. Spaghetti is the most common round-rod type of pasta and in Italian, spaghetti means "little lines." Spaghetti is most often served with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese, but meat, garlic, oil, and pepper can also be added for extra flavor. To celebrate National Spaghetti Day, make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner or head to your favorite Italian restaurant. Enjoy!

List of Ingredients

HOME COOKIN’ 01/04/2012 National Spaghetti Day Real Meatballs and Spaghetti



Real Meatballs and Spaghetti


For the meatballs:
• 1/2 pound ground veal
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
• 1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 extra-large egg, beaten
• Vegetable oil
• Olive oil
For the sauce:
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
• 1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
• Freshly grated Parmesan



Recipe

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Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.