Barefoot Bloggers: Real Meatballs and Spaghetti

Today's edition of"Barefoot Bloggers" is Ina Garten's Real Meatballs and Spaghetti. This recipe was chosen by Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake. I guess I have been making fake meatballs all this time but now I have the secret-- straight from the master. Actually, Ina tells us (in her Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook) that spaghetti and meatballs was not something her mother made while she was growing up, so she had to do some research about the dish. She tells us that "the best idea came from the famous New York Italian restaurant called Rao's"--where they add water to the meatballs, which keeps them "moist and delicious." I really liked the meatballs--they WERE moist, light, and delicious--but found them a bit salty. I find in general, that Ina has a bit of a heavy hand with the salt. I cut the salt down to about 1 1/3 t kosher salt--yet I still found the meatballs a bit too salty. That also may have been due to the seasoned bread crumbs. I might use only 1 t of salt the next time I make them. Also I think next time I would bake the meatballs rather than fry them in order to cut down on the fat. Ina's sauce was good but not great. It was missing that certain something that makes you want to take a piece of bread and sop up all the extra sauce on your plate. Maybe some fresh basil would be a nice addition. I would definitely make this dish again with a few tweaks. Bon Appetit!!!

FINAL VERDICT:

Meatballs--Great!
Sauce--Needs something.....not sure what.

REAL MEATBALLS AND SPAGHETTI
from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

For the Meatballs:

1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 C fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed) (NOTE: I used 1 C only of seasoned dry bread crumbs and
omitted the fresh ones)
1/4 C seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 t kosher salt (NOTE: I used 1 1/3 t and I thought THAT was too much)
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1 extra-large egg, beaten
3/4 C warm water
Vegetable oil
Olive oil

For the Sauce:

1 T good olive oil
1 C chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
1 1/2 t minced garlic
1/2 C good red wine, such as Chianti
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
1 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 T kosher salt (may want to cut down a little)
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

For Serving:

1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package direction
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 C 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 used a small ice-cream-type scoop to measure out the meat and then formed them into balls with my hands. I ended up with about 30 meatballs.)

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 sauté 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.

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 cheese.

Some helpful hints from Ina:

When you cook spaghetti, don't use oil in the water; the sauce will stick better.

When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it in a colander. If you don't use it right away, run hot water over it and it will separate.

I (Ina) use Pepperidge Farm sandwich white bread for fresh bread crumbs.

Jump on the Short Rib Bandwagon

Last night I did something a little crazy.  I got home from the grocery store at 10 to 6 at night and decided to make short ribs for dinner.  Not advisable.  Short ribs are delicious but require a long, slow cooking time.  The more I get to know short ribs, the more I love them.  Boy #2 kept asking me when dinner would be ready and I kept saying "in about an hour."  After the second or third time he caught on.  This kind of meat is always better the next day in any case.  And who decided cereal was a BREAKFAST food anyway?

This is the kind of recipe that is sometimes hard to re-create--because I sort of combined several recipes and just threw stuff in.  All three of the recipes called for red wine but I didn't have any so I threw in half a bottle of beer--actually, I noticed the bottle was empty when I cleaned up --and I don't drink beer--so I think I actually used the whole bottle.    This is a great dish to make the day before you want to eat it.  That way you can remove any excess fat that will have solidified on the top.  These short ribs are similar to brisket in that if they are too tough or chewy you have not overcooked them, you have undercooked them.  When done, they should be fork-tender.  This is a GREAT fall/winter dinner.

5-6 lbs short ribs--I used about 13 ribs

1/3-1/2  C flour for dredging and a little kosher salt and pepper

oil--for searing--I used canola

1 large onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 heaping tsp chopped garlic

2 C red wine or 1 bottle beer

2 C chicken broth--can also use beef or vegetable stock (NOTE--I added a spoonful of a veal demi-glace, too)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

3 bay leaves

handful chopped parsley

2-3 large sprigs fresh rosemary

2 containers fresh mushrooms, washed and halved

3 carrots, in large chunks

Combine flour, salt and pepper and dredge the short ribs in the mixture.  Shake off any excess.  Heat a couple of tablespoons canola oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat.  Sear 4 or 5 short ribs at a time on all sides til brown.  Put each rib in the pot and wait a minute or two to try to turn it over.  When it is ready to be turned, it will release from the pot easily.  Sear the meat in batches and do not crowd the pan.  Transfer to bowl.  After all meat is seared, reduce heat to medium and add diced onions and celery to pot.  Season with salt and pepper.   Saute for a few minutes and then add garlic.  Cook for another minute or so, stirring to ensure garlic doesn't burn.  Add wine or beer and chicken stock.  Boil uncovered for a few minutes, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan.  Add broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, parsley, and rosemary.  Return ribs to the pot, cover partially, and simmer about 1 1/2 hours.  Uncover and simmer until rib meat is tender, stirring occasionally--about 1 1/2 hours longer, adding mushrooms and carrots about 1/2 hour or 40 minutes before ribs are done.  

Serve with pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread.