Fall is coming. Even here in the Deep South, the breeze is downright cool, and there are moments when the humidity isn't entirely suffocating. While this is sad news for us pool and beach addicts, this is great news for family cooking. All the things that can be made ahead of time and then left to simmer or bake - soups and stews, lasagnas and casseroles - are so much more appealing to make and to eat when it's cool(er) outside. I've always considered Labor Day the official beginning of fall (Sept. 22 just seems so random for a season change), so this is the weekend I'll start stocking the freezer again.
Which brings me to spaghetti and meatballs. Ina Garten's spaghetti and meatballs may very well be the best spaghetti and meatballs you'll ever taste. Seriously. Seriously. The sauce is out of this world, and the meatballs themselves are so fluffy (can food be fluffy? other than marshmallow fluff, of course) and tasty I could eat a whole pot of them. The only downside - they are truly a labor of love. It takes me at least a couple of hours to make this recipe, which means it doesn't work its way into the rotation very often. To compensate and try to get more out of my time investment, I double the sauce recipe. This way, I end up with enough meatballs and sauce for one night of dinner for my family, a second batch of meatballs and sauce to serve another night, and at least a jarful of just sauce to freeze for a time when I need marinara sauce, but not meatballs. Recipe follows, and note that I've already doubled the amount. Happy eating!
Ingredients
For the meatballs (Note: this part has not been doubled, as this makes enough for 2 meals for my family):
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil
For the sauce (Note: these amounts have been doubled):
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup good red wine, such as Chianti (Note: if you live in Georgia and decide to make this on a Sunday, only to be reminded after you've already waited in line for 15 minutes at Fresh Market that you can't buy wine on Sundays because apparently it is the Pathway To Sin, you can substitute good beef stock. I used Kitchen Basics the last time I made this, and it was fine. Not as good as with the wine, but still better than anything that comes in a jar.)
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped (Note: I prefer the smoother texture of the crushed tomatoes to the chopped tomatoes.)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs. (Note: I make my meatballs half this size, about the size of golf balls. I end up with about 30, and a serving size for us is 4-5 meatballs per adult, 2-3 per kid.) Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.
For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper. (Note: At this point I let the tomatoes cook for about 5-10 minutes, and then remove half the sauce and freeze it for later use. Now you're back to the amount of sauce the original recipe makes. Carry on.)
Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.
