Spaghetti and Meatballs

By Lionina - 5:54 PM

I happen to like the nice fluffy meatballs that come out of my food processor, though this may not be to everyone's taste. For a more meaty solution, reserve some chunky ground meat and stir it in after processing.

Meatballs
1/4 cup onion, finely minced, squeeze out the water
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground beef, 85%
1/2 tsp parsley, freshly minced and dried
1/4 tsp oregano, ground - finely minced fresh is good too
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup matzo meal or fine breadcrumbs
2 eggs
pepper
salt

Sauce
pinch crushed red pepper
1/2 cup red wine
1 tsp garlic paste (leftover from Zankou)
2 large of cans of crushed tomato
1/2 tbsp sugar
pepper
salt
1-2 tbsp butter
opt. pinch of oregano, dried

Blitz starting with onion and garlic. After adding meat, pulse a few times and scrape. Pulse a few more times (not everything will be fully combined). Scrape into a bowl and fold a couple turns to fully incorporate. Adjust milk or matzo if necessary.

Heat a large saucepan with 1/8" oil. My mixture was rather soft, so I used a round 2 tbsp measure, slightly mounded, and tapped it out into my oiled palm. After giving it a couple of light rolls to tuck in loose bits, lay meatballs into the oil to, searing in batches. They will end up misshapen, but if you roll them around a few times, they smooth out a little. Remove seared meatballs on a plate and dump out most of the oil except a few tbsp. 

In the same pan, raise the heat. Deglaze the red wine and dissolved sugar till just beginning to reduce. Add crushed tomato and heat till bubbly. Adjust seasoning. Swirl in butter, add the oregano, and return meatballs to the pan. Braise at a simmer for 20 minutes. According to the indian curry method... the sauce will separate slightly at the end, and then you know it's ready!

Resource:

  1. Among the recipes I looked at, Lidia Bastianich's Spaghetti and Meatballs was the one I went to. Of course, I use what I have on hand (matzo meal), and remove what I don't like (parmesan - in the meatball, not on the pasta).
  2. Gastrique (The Paupered Chef) - Why not a backbone of bright flavor like a wine or balsamic sauce?

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