Spaghetti & Meatballs

A classic Spaghetti & Meatballs can become something quite extraordinary if the right ingredients are used, and this is a great recipe … I once ate these spaghetti and meatballs late at night in a small family-run New York restaurant in the East Village, (sitting at the counter I watched the New-York Italian Chef cook them for me, and he gave me the recipe if I promised I wasn’t going to open up a rival restaurant). The meatballs were truly wonderful – while the tomato sauce that accompanied them was both deep flavoured and sharp-bright at the same time – because what was noticeable was the lack of the usual muddle-of-herbs which normally accompanies this type of dish – there were only a few herbs used, and these punched through.

Spaghetti & Meatballs Recipe

Serves 4 to 6 people

Recipe Ingredients:

For the meatballs – makes 16

• 1 Kg ground minced beef (lean beef, really good quality)
• 150g bread crumbs (day old bread using a food processor to crumb)
• 100g finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic (minced fine)
• 1 heaped tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 heaped tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon sea-salt flakes (ground)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• small pinch ground cayenne chilli pepper
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (to fry)

For the tomato sauce

• 200g streaky bacon (diced small)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion (chopped fine)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced fine)
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree (concentrate)
• 500ml water
• 120ml Italian red wine
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoons fresh parsley (roughly chopped) plus 1 tbsp extra for garnish
• 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons sea-salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 400g can chopped Italian tomatoes
• 400g can or carton Pasata (smooth tomato sauce)
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar

To serve

• 500g dried spaghetti for serving
• Generous grating of Parmesan cheese

Recipe Method:

For the meatballs: In a large mixing bowl mix all meatball ingredients (except the olive oil) by hand. Use the beaten egg to bind everything into a smooth paste. Take a small portion of the meat mixture in your wet hands and roll it between the palms to form a ball which is firmly packed but not compressed and dense. Repeat this process to make 16 equally sized meatballs, with each meatball about 5 centimetres in diameter (like a small golf ball).

Next, in a large, heavy based non-stick heat-proof casserole dish heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat. When it is hot add the meatballs in three separate batches. Do not over-crowd the casserole dish, this will drop the temperature. Brown the initial bottoms well before carefully turning, or the meatballs will break apart. Continue to fry them all off until well browned all over (quite dark). Remove the meatballs with some tongs to a plate as each batch is finished. Let the meatballs cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate until needed. Reserve the casserole dish with the oils and fats in.

For the tomato sauce: use the same casserole dish as you did for the meatballs. Add in the olive oil and turn the heat under the casserole dish to medium, when hot add the diced streaky bacon and chopped onions, and fry for 8 minutes, stirring. Add the minced garlic, and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the tomato paste, and stir: cook this out until it absorbs all the fat in the dish. Add the dried oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, sea-salt, pepper and bay leaf, stirring to combine.

Add the cans of chopped tomato and tomato pasata sauce, then 500ml of water and the red wine. Stir in the caster sugar and chopped fresh parsley. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil. Turn heat down to a simmer, partly cover, and leave sauce to simmer for 2 hours or more to thicken, stirring regularly. Once thickened take it off the heat.

To make the Spaghetti & Meatballs: About 20 minutes before serving, add the meatballs to the tomato sauce pot and heat through. Then in a separate saucepan boil the dried spaghetti according to the package directions in salted water. Quickly drain, leaving behind 2 tablespoons of the salted pasta water in the saucepan, then return the cooked spaghetti to the saucepan and add 3 ladles of the tomato sauce. Toss the pasta in the pan for a minute to coat with sauce, and then place on a large platter or serving dish. Pour 2 more ladles of sauce over the pasta. Place the meatballs on the pasta and sprinkle over a generous amount of grated Parmesan and some chopped fresh parsley. Serve, adding more pasta sauce when needed.