Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic example of how food transcends all cultures, irrespective of one’s root or region. This all time favorite Italian-American comfort food has found its way to our family’s table and hearts as well, and our roots are not Italian at all. Speaking of which, I found out that spaghetti with meatballs is not Italian at all. Of course, meatballs are Italian; in Italy they are primarily eaten as a meal itself or in soups. Nevertheless, as in all ethnic cuisines, meatballs travelled to the United States and gradually evolved to spaghetti and meatballs, a symbol of Italian-American cuisine.
Meatballs and sauce are a constant recurrence at our table, not only because we crave them very often, but also because it is easy to make. We like ours with spaghetti, making it our Friday night “Spaghetti and meatballs”. But feel free to eat it however you like it. These meatballs themselves are delectable on their own. I have long forgone the task of frying meatballs. Instead, I roast them, which to my mind traps all the flavors of all the ingredients I have carefully chosen to put in.
Meatballs
| Ingredients: makes about 20 meatballs | |
|---|---|
 | 1 ½ pound of ground turkey |
| 1 ½ pound of ground pork |
| 2 slices of white or wheat bread |
| ½ cup milk |
| 1 egg |
| ⅓ cup ricotta cheese |
| ½ cup of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese |
| 1 small shallot |
| 2 cloves of garlic |
| ¼ cup of fresh parsley |
| 1 chili pepper(thai, jalapeno or any other) |
| 1 teaspoon kosher salt |
| ½ teaspoon pepper |
| Instructions | |
|---|---|
| Remove crust and soak the bread in milk for 10 minutes. |
| Squeeze the milk out of the bread. |
| Place the ground meat, bread, egg, ricotta cheese, parmigiano, minced shallot, minced garlic, minced parsley, minced chili pepper, salt in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. |
| Using wet hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You should have about 20 meatballs. |
| Line a 18 by 10 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and grease it with olive oil. Place the meatballs on the prepared pan. Drizzle olive oil on the meatballs and roast them in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for 20 minutes. |
Marinara sauce originates from Naples and comes from the Italian word, marinaro, meaning sailor. Food and travel columnist, John Mariani explains how the sauce was named in How Italian Food Conquered the World: “There was a simple one of garlic, oil, and tomatoes called marinara, supposedly because it was made quickly, as soon as the mariners’ wives spotted their husbands returning fishing boats in the distance.”
SHAYLYN ESPOSITO, “Is Spaghetti and Meatballs Italian?” June 6, 2013
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/is-spaghetti-and-meatballs-italian-94819690/
Marinara sauce
Over the years, I have cooked and eaten so many versions of this sauce. I love tomatoes and I love garlic; combine the two, and something delectable happens. This version is my favorite. The ½ cup of wine I put in renders a depth of flavor, but you can omit the alcohol and the sauce won’t lose any of its deliciousness.
| For the sauce you will need: | |
|---|---|
| ½ cup of a good quality olive oil |
| ½ of a large yellow onion |
| 2 stalks of celery |
| 1 medium carrot |
| 4 cloves of garlic |
| 1 tablespoon tomato paste |
| 1 can of 28 ounce San Marzano tomatoes |
| ½ cup fresh minced parsley |
| ½ cup good red wine |
| 1 teaspoon salt |
| ½ teaspoon pepper |
| Instructions for the sauce | |
|---|---|
| Blitz onion, garlic, celery, carrots in a food processor. |
| Heat olive oil in a pot, add the vegetables and cook until translucent. |
| Add tomato paste and cook for a minute. |
| Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pot, until almost all the liquid evaporates. |
| Stir in the can of tomatoes, salt, pepper and parsley. Don’t throw away the tin can yet, fill it up halfway with water and pour it into the simmering sauce. |
| Let the sauce simmer at low heat for 15 minutes. Add the roast meatballs and simmer for 10 more minutes on low heat, letting all the flavors come together and do what it’s supposed to do: being delicious. |
Putting it all together
We like our meatballs and sauce with spaghetti; we always eat it that way, but you don’t have to eat the meatballs with spaghetti if you don’t want to.
| Instructions to put it all together | |
|---|---|
| Cook 16 oz. of spaghetti according to the package instructions. I like mine al dente. There is only one tip from my side for the ultimate bowl of spaghetti and meatballs and that is never to overcook your pasta. |
| Douse the perfectly cooked spaghetti with the meatballs and sauce and you can call it “Spaghetti with meatballs”. |
Inspiration: Our deep love for Italian food.