Ingredients for Meatballs
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 med onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
4 slices Italian bread, crusts discarded,
cut into small dice
1/4 cup whole milk
2 pounds lean ground veal
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 cups My
Favorite Tomato Sauce (recipe below)
1 pound dry spaghetti
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Freshly ground Parmesan cheese, for garnish
1. In a medium
skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion
and garlic and sauté
until soft, about five minutes, taking care not to
turn onions brown. Remove
mixture to a small bowl and set aside
to cool.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine the bread and milk. Set aside for about
10
minutes, until all the milk is completely absorbed.
3. Add to the mixing bowl and the sautéed onion and garlic, ground veal,
egg,
Parmesan, parsley, basil, thyme, salt, sugar, and black pepper.
4. Wetting your hands with cold water, roll about one-eighth of the veal mixture
into a large, even meatball and place it on a large plate or
baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining mixture, making 8 meat-
balls in all.
5. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the tomato sauce until it is
very
gently simmering. One at a time, carefully lower the meatballs
into the
simmering sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer very gently,
covered, until the
meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has
thickened, about 45 minutes.
6. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the spaghetti and cook
until
al dente, tender but still chewy, following the manufacturer's
suggested cooking
time.
7. With a slotted spoon, remove the meatballs from the sauce and
transfer them
to a plate. Remove 1 1/2 cups of sauce from the pan
and keep it warm.
8. Drain the spaghetti and instantly stir into the tomato sauce in the
saucepan.
Toss to coat the spaghetti thoroughly. Twirl or mound the
spaghetti into each of
8 warmed serving bowls or plates. Top with
the meatballs and drizzle with the
reserved sauce. Sprinkle with
chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired.
My
Favorite Tomato Sauce Recipe
1/4 cup
extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, peeled, trimmed, and minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 pounds Roma tomatoes,
peeled, seeded, and diced
2 cups chicken stock or good-quality
canned chicken broth, heated
12 to 16 fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted
butter, cut into small pieces
Kosher salt (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
1. In a large
saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté
until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1
minute longer. Add the
tomato paste and then the tomatoes, cook for
2 to 3 minutes, and then pour in
the chicken stock. Simmer briskly
until the sauce is thick, 20 to 30 minutes.
For finer consistency, pass
the sauce through a wire-mesh sieve into a clean
saucepan.
2. Stack the basil leaves, roll them up lengthwise, and cut across the roll
very
thinly to make a chiffonade. Stir the basil into the sauce. Whisk in
the butter
piece by piece, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Keep warm.
