Spaghetti and Meatballs

Well, this was the post I was waiting to do. Spaghetti and meatballs is one my all-time favorite meals, and my blog is named after them. I was lucky enough to share this meal with some great friends, so it was a fantastic evening. Almost everyone loves spaghetti and meatballs, it’s really hard to go wrong. The secret ingredient in mine is actually in the sauce- the anchovies. I promise, you will never know they’re there but they make it so delicious. The meatballs soak up the flavor as they cook in the sauce, you can leave them in longer and they just get better and better. And because one of my friends is a vegetarian, I kept them separate at our dinner…it’s her loss though…(She had her own sauce, no anchovies)

I’ve started doing my meatballs in the broiler instead of frying them because it’s just so much easier. If you prefer, you can fry them in a frying pan with some olive oil until browned. I don’t particularly like baked meatballs because they don’t get the extra flavor from browning, and they don’t hold together as well unless you use more breadcrumbs and egg. And well, meat without the crusty brown bits just isn’t as tasty.

Meatballs

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground veal

1/2 pound ground pork

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup grated parmesan or pecorino

1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1 egg

1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce

1 tablespoon sage, minced

1 tablespoon parsley, minced

Mix everything except the meat together until combined (you leave the meat until the end so it doesn’t get overworked). Add the meat and combine with a fork until just mixed.

Make them into golf ball-sized meatballs, rolling between your hands. Place them on a baking sheet with some olive oil.

Broil them for 15 minutes or so, until they brown on the outside.

Tomato Sauce

3 anchovies

1/2 onion, chopped

1 carrot, grated

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon sage, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 cup red wine

1 can San Marzano whole tomatoes, crushed

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

Melt the anchovies in the olive oil until they have broken up. Add the onion and let them soften but not brown. Add the carrot, garlic, sage, and oregano and cook for a minute or two. Deglaze the pan with the wine and add the tomatoes and sugar. Let it cook down for 15 or 20 minutes.

For the spaghetti and meatballs, you would add the meatballs to the tomato sauce at this point and let them finish cooking together for 10 minutes. Cook some spaghetti according to the package instructions. Remove some of the tomato sauce to a saute or frying pan along with some of the pasta water. Let that cook down for a minute, then add the pasta to cook for the last minute together. Plate and put some meatballs on top. Sprinkle the parsley over and some grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.