You'd be hard pressed to find this one in the annals of traditional Italian cuisine. That's because it's the invention of Italian immigrants to NYC; an Italian-facing dish with broader appeal for all the poor and weary diners arriving in the Big Apple from all over the world in the 19th century. We're certainly not complaining.
This comfort food crowd-pleaser always hits the spot when you're in the mood for some simple, good home cooking. It's also perfect for those evenings you want something satisfying with minimal effort. The sauce with meatballs is ideal for preparing in larger quantities, freezing and then simply defrosting and reheating when you want to spend less time in the kitchen.
Most versions are not spicy, but I prefer to use a few hot chillies to give it that extra kick—just tell any pedant it's the Calabrian version or the lovechild signature dish of a little osteria where an Italian married a Mexican in 1904... Either way, they're entirely optional.
This recipe is for 2 to 3 diners. Do that calculator thing if you need to work out the portions for a differently sized group.
Shopping list
3 pork sausages (without complex herb or other ingredients) or the equivalent volume in pork sausage meat
Extra virgin olive oil
50g fresh breadcrumbs (optional)
175g lean minced beef
2 large onions; one very finely chopped, the other cubed
A large bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Parmesan (or grana padano) cheese, grated, plus extra to serve (optional)
1 egg, whisked with a fork
2 or 3 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
2 or 3 hot red chilli peppers, finely sliced (optional)
1 400g can chopped Italian plum tomatoes
500g passata
1 large red bell pepper, diced
125ml red wine (optional)
A few fresh basil leaves
Oregano and black pepper to taste
Approx. 200g spaghetti
A little rock salt
Cooking method
for the meatballs
Place the sausage meat (or cut the raw sausages and squeeze out their contents, discarding the skin) into a mixing bowl
Add the minced beef using clean fingers. Mix these together with the one very finely chopped onion, flat-leaf parsley, parmesan to taste, breadcrumbs (if using), egg and seasoning (salt, black pepper, oregano). Mix together thoroughly. The traditional adage says that the more you squeeze, the more tender the meatballs. I can't say I've noticed the difference as long as it's well mixed. Shape into meatballs and allow to rest for about 10 mins on a plate or board
Pour a liberal amount of the olive oil into a large frying pan heating on a moderate-to-high heat; enough to coat the entire bass of the pan in 1 to 2mm of oil. Once the oil is hot, place each of the meatballs into pan in rapid succession
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, turn all of the meatballs so that the entire surface of each it coated with the hot oil and sealed. After that, continue to turn all of the meatballs regularly. Make sure that they don't stick or burn. The aim here is not to fully cook the meatballs, but to "get them on their way".
Once the meatballs are regularly, gently browned on their entire outer surface, remove from the heat. Carefully lift from the pan and place on a board or clean plate
for the sauce
Carefully pour the olive oil and meat fats from the frying pan into a deep saucepan with a lid, being careful not to transfer any fragments that have come away from the meatballs while sealing them (use a sieve if needed)
Heat the oil and meat juices in the saucepan on a high heat. You may need to add some additional olive oil if the base of the saucepan is not fully coated (this is more likely if using the veggie version or lower fat options - see variations below)
First add the grated/crushed/chopped garlic to the hot oil, stirring constantly. As soon as it turns golden, add the diced onion. NB: because you are using olive oil that has some of the meat fats and juices in it, you need to be more diligent than when making a basic tomato sauce because it is more prone to sticking
Once the onions begin to soften, add the red bell pepper (and sliced hot red chillies if using them) and continue to stir
As soon as the onions begin to brown and the bell pepper (and hot chillies) begins to soften, add the chopped plum tomatoes and their juice to the pan. Stir and bring to the boil. Allow the mixture to boil vigorously for about 7 to 10 mins, stirring regularly
Add half of the passata, basil leaves, a little oregano and black pepper. Bring to the boil. Cover and boil for approx. 5 to 7 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking
Carefully lower the meatballs into the mixture with a spoon. Add the remainder of the passata and stir gently, ensuring you don't break up the meatballs. There should be enough liquid in the saucepan at this point that the meatballs are covered but not submerged too deeply. (Although unlikely if you've done it correctly, add a little water if needed)
Bring to the boil and allow to boil vigorously in the uncovered pot for a further 7 mins, stirring occasionally
Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting that still ensures the mixture bubbles away in the covered saucepan. If you're a hungry piggy, it should be ready after about another 30 mins. However, for the best results, cook on a very low heat for at least 1.5 hours. About halfway through whichever cooking time you use, pour in the red wine (if using) and stir in thoroughly; recover and allow it to cook in, making sure that the sauce has sufficiently reduced before even considering serving it
About 20 mins before you wish to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti and boil for approx. 12 mins or until al dente. Drain in a colander
Plate the spaghetti with the sauce and meatballs added on top. Add grated cheese to taste
Accompaniments
I'm pretty sure the 19th-century immigrants to New York didn't get—or care about—accompaniments. But, I find simple salad works well when heeding the 21st-century advice on chlorophyll. But, hey, knock yourself out and go for a full-on tricolore salad if you want to cover all of the bases.
Variations
This dish is highly adaptable in terms of what can be used to make the meatballs. This recipe uses the mixture of pork and beef that many insist is traditional, though I suspect this is based on lasagne recipes rather than historical fact. I wouldn't be surprised if a little dog or cat actually found its way into what was actually served up in those 19th-century establishments catering to the hopeful poor and immigrant workers in which it originated.
That said, you can go for 100% beef or pork in the same overall quantities in the recipe above with equally good results.
Veggie - there are a variety of vegetarian minces you can use as a substitute for meat including soya and Quorn that work well for this particular dish. All of these "non-meatballs" work well as long as you make sure you create them with the hydrated form i.e. simply defrost if using frozen vegetarian mince but make sure you fully soak dried soya mince before making your balls if that's your preferred ingredient otherwise you'll end up with hard horribleness
Lower fat - this is probably the best dish to advocate that turkey mince is a viable protein for humans. If you use this cooking method, the "turkey balls" will soak up the sauce in much the same way as the meat versions offering a genuinely palatable reduced-fat dish
Pairings
Another of those quotidian dishes to which I have not paid much attention on the pairing front so far. Perhaps I underestimate it. But, chiantis and Sangiovese wines of the workday variety have worked best for me so far. Yep, I know: we shall ask poor, put-upon Karel.
And, yes, it does work nicely with cold beer, especially if you're eating it on a warm summer night.
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