So, Happy New Year! And I think I also forgot to mention Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and TODAY, Happy Valentine's Day! Wow, I'm failing at being a regular with this blog thing, but needless to say, I've been busy (which is totally not a good excuse, but I'm back).
This is the season of gym memberships, New Year's resolutions (if they've still stuck!), 30 Days to a Better Body, etc etc. Well, for me, if I were up north, this is also the season of comfort food. Those two things obviously don't jive well, seeing as how that "comfort" part usually entails butter, cream, flaky crusts, and good quality stringy cheeses (and not the latest at-home pilates video). But isn't it the reality when it's 30 degrees or less outside that all you want is a bowl of soup or plate of pasta? Mac 'n cheese? Chicken pot pie? If you're a southerner, nana's fried chicken? Well, even if you've had as mild of a "winter" as we've had in the south, today's dish serves up comfort any day of the week. I made this for the in-laws right before Christmas and I believe every bowl went empty. Because I planned ahead and knew when company was coming, I took a couple days to prepare this meal to make it as stress-free of an evening as possible. I made the sauce the evening before and made the meatballs the night of. That way, all I had to do was heat the sauce on the stove with the baked meatballs and cook up the pasta before my eaters arrived. The timing was perfect, and paired with a salad and a glass of vino, this was a great success!
Also, since today is Valentine's Day, you might even look past the comfort part of this dish, and evoke your inner Lady and the Tramp. Just a suggestion. :)
Spaghetti and Meatballs
from a Williams Sonoma cookbook appropriately titled, Comfort Food
(see recipe following the pics)
 |
| Awesome sauce |
 |
| Prepped and Ready |
 |
| Immersion blender! |
  |
| Chopped up |
 |
| Mixing the meats (pork and beef) |
 |
| Breadcrumbs for texture |
 |
| Down and dirty |
 |
| Lined up |
 |
| Swimming! |
 |
| I think mine looked like the picture! |
 |
| Comfort Food 101 |
Note: I'm pretty sure my canned tomatoes were from le Kroger and were no-salt-added diced. I actually prefer to use the diced since it made blending much easier. I added a little of my own salt, to taste, in the end. Also, I left out the wine when I made it, but don't let that hold you back. I'm sure that flavor is wonderful! I made this on Sunday night, let it cool, and chilled it for Tuesday dinner.
Ingredients
Plum tomatoes with puree, preferably San Marzano, 2 cans (28 oz each)
Olive Oil, 3 T.
Yellow onion, 1 large finale diced
Garlic, 2-4 cloves, minced
Hearty red wine, 1/2 c.
Red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp
Bay leaf, 1
Fresh basil, 1/4 c. chopped (or a few shakes of dried)
Makes about 6 cups
Directions
Pour the tomatoes and their puree into a large bowl. Using you hands, crush the tomatoes between you fingers. (Don't squeeze too hard or you'll be squirted with the juice.) (Or, like I did, use an immersion blender and whip those tomatoes into shape.)
In a large, heave nonreactive saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the crushed tomatoes and their puree, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching and adding water if the sauce thickens too quickly, until the sauce has thickened, about 1 1/2 hours. During the last 15 minutes of simmering, stir in the basil.
Discard the bay leaf. Use the sauce at once, or let cool, cover, and refrigerated for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Note: This calls for a great mix of meat: beef, pork, and veal. Because I'm more budget aware, I opted out of veal. I used beef and pork only, and probably used around 1 1/4 lbs of beef and 3/4 lb of pork, so there was still a fatty meat involved, but not at equal proportion to the lean beef.
Ingredients
Olive Oil, 1 T.
Yellow Onion, 1/2 minced
Garlic, 2 cloves, minced
Coarse, fresh bread crumbs, 3/4 c.
Whole milk, 1/2 c.
Egg, 1 beaten
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, 2 T. minced (or a shake of dried)
Dried Oregano, 1 1/2 tsp.
Kosher salt, 1 1/2 tsp
Freshly ground pepper, 1/2 tsp
Ground beef round, 1 lb.
Ground pork and veal, 1/2 lb. each
Marinara Sauce (see above), 6 cups
Freshly grates Parmesan cheese for serving
(Spaghetti pasta)
Makes 6 servings
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. In a small frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool to lukewarm.
Meanwhile, place the bread crumbs in a small bowl. Add the milk and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a seive and drain, pressing hard on the bread to extract the excess milk. Add the soaked bread crumbs, egg, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper to the onion mixture and mix well. Add the ground meats and mix with your hands just until combined. Do not over mix, or the meatballs will be dense.
Using wet hands, shape the mixture into 18 meatballs, and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until tops are browned, about 20 minutes, then turn and bake until cooked through, 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven.
In a large saucepan, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Add the meatballs. Discard any fat on the baking sheet, add 1/2 cup boiling water to the baking sheet, and use a wooden spatula to scrape up any browned bits. Pour into the marinara sauce and stir. Simmer until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a biol over high heat. Add the spaghetti and stir occasionally until the water returns to a biol. Cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander. Return the pasta to the pot. Add about half the sauce to the pasta, without the meatballs, and toss to combine. Divide the pasta among individual pasta bowls, and top each serving with more sauce and an equal number of the meatballs. Serve hot, with the Parmesan.
Bella Notte!
No comments:
Post a Comment