- Prep Time: 15 min.
- Cook Time: 40 min.
- Yield: 4 servings
Spaghetti and meatballs are totally American creations, as is the act of using a spoon to assist in twirling strands of spaghetti on your fork.
In the 1890s, poor immigrants who settled in New York from southern Italy enjoyed relatively affordable food prices in comparison to the motherland.
Thus, meat evolved from the status of extravagance to affordability, and consumption rose. Cooks began making larger versions of polpettes, which were somewhat olive-sized meatballs that were served on their own or in soups in southern Italy.
As immigrant laborers grew in prosperity, so did their appetites for bigger and bigger portions. Perhaps this was the beginning of America’s love affair with gluttonous portions.
Dried spaghetti and canned tomatoes were easy to find at corner grocers, where immigrant communities developed, so the natural progression to meals of spaghetti and meatballs seemed organic. Today, San Marzano canned tomatoes are most prized.
This recipe calls for both ground veal and pork, fennel seeds, and Calabrian chilis for an elevated palate of flavors imparted to this Italian-American classic. The meatballs are partially baked, then finished in the tomato sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground veal
- 1 pound of ground pork
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon ground fennel seeds
- 1 cup of breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese + garnish
- 1 cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 tablespoon Greek oregano
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 cup of olive oil
- 2 tins (29 ounces) of whole, peeled Roma tomatoes
- 8 button mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon calabrian chilis
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 pound of dry spaghetti
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- In a medium-sized bowl, hand-mix together the ground veal and ground pork. Mix in half of the onion, 2 cloves of garlic, the fennel, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Mix in the breadcrumbs, Romano cheese, parsley, egg, and 1/4 cup of the wine until a smooth, homogeneous texture has formed.
- Roll the meat mixture into compact balls between the palms of your hands, making sure to cover all cracks. The meatballs should be about 25 percent larger than golf balls.
- On an aluminum-foil-lined sheet pan, place the meat balls, four in a row, not touching. Bake for 30 minutes on the middle of the oven rack. The meatballs will be partially cooked.
- Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce.
- In a medium-large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Do not skimp on the oil; the volume will be necessary for the sauce. Fry the remaining half of the onion, stirring frequently, until soft and transparent.
- Add the garlic, stir, and sauté for another minute. Add the tomatoes by squeezing them through your fingers to break them up into chunks. Add the excess tomato liquid from the can.
- To the sauce pot, add the remaining wine, mushrooms, chilis, and sugar. Stir, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.
- Once the half-cooked meat balls have cooled, place them into the tomato sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, minus 1 minute. Drain the spaghetti, reserving 3 tablespoons of the water in which it was boiled.
- Immediately add the spaghetti to the tomato sauce as well as the pasta water, toss well, and cover. Let rest for 2 minutes off any heat.
- Transfer the sauce-coated spaghetti to serving bowls and top with meatballs, sprinkles of parsley, and Romano cheese. Serve!
