Meatballs and Spaghetti

From inthekitchenwithkath.com

(Adapted from a smittenkitchen.com recipe)

Serves 4

For the meatballs:

½ pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

¾ cup fresh white bread crumbs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 large egg, beaten

½ cup warm water

Oil for frying (I used extra-light olive oil)

For the sauce:

1 cup chopped onion

1½ teaspoons minced garlic

Pinch of red pepper flakes

½ cup red wine

1 (32-ounce) can diced tomatoes in puree without calcium chloride, or crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

1 teaspoon kosher salt (omit if your tomatoes are salted)

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

12 ounces spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

Freshly grated Parmesan

1. Put the ground meats, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, egg, and water in a bowl. Mix together (using your hands works best), and then use your hands to lightly form 8 meatballs without compressing the meatballs.

2. Heat about 1/8 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

3. When the oil’s hot, add the meatballs to brown on all sides. Turn them gently with a spatula. It will take 10 – 15 minutes to brown them.

4. Put the meatballs on a paper towel on a plate.

5. Pour off almost all of the oil in the pan, leaving the browned bits and about 1 tablespoon of oil

6. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, until softened.

7. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

8. Add the wine and turn the heat to medium high to bring to a boil. Scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan and cook until almost all of the wine is evaporated, 2 – 3 minutes.

9. Turn the heat back down and add the tomatoes, parsley, salt (if you’re using unsalted tomatoes), and pepper. (If you’re using salted tomatoes, taste to see if the sauce needs any more salt. Season to taste.)

10. Carefully put the meatballs in the sauce and spoon a bit of sauce over them.

11. Cover and turn the heat down to low so the sauce is just simmering and not boiling. Cook for about 15 minutes.

12. Turn the meatballs over and cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are done. (I used a meat thermometer to make sure the temperature was 160˚. If in doubt, you can cut open a meatball to see if it’s done.)

13. While the meatballs and sauce are simmering, heat a large pot of water for the spaghetti.

14. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain and put it back in the pot.

15. Use a small amount (about ¼ cup) of the tomato sauce to toss with the pasta.

16. Serve the pasta, and top with a bit of sauce and a couple of meatballs. Pass the Parmesan at the table.