NEW RSS feed! | Mon 02.25.08 |
a classic... |
...is a classic for a reason.
Winter food for me is anything that 1) is best served piping hot, 2) can be made mostly from pantry items, and 3) causes you to eat to contented and lazy fullness. While soups and stews usually make up most of my cold-weather eating, a hot plate of pasta can work just as well, usually in much less time. Plus, in consideration of criterion 3), there's nothing easier, for me at least, to glut away.
Truth be told, though I often plan to make spaghetti and meatballs, I rarely go through with it, as by the time I get the ingredients together, I end up thinking, Why don't I just make a bolognese? Less hassle. But today three inches of snow fell over everything, so I wasn't about to go anywhere and figured I might as well put my free time to good use.
And shit, I should've made some extra meatballs to freeze, since I ate too much and there aren't many left for tomorrow.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
1 lb ground beef chuck
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/4 c grated romano cheese
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small bunch parsely, roughly chopped
1 egg
red chili flakes, salt and pepper
1 lb dried spaghetti
32 oz crushed tomatoes (one big can or two small cans)
Begin boiling water for the pasta. Mix together everything except the pasta and the tomatoes. Form the meat mixture into medium-sized balls (there'll be a tendency to make them too big - resist it) and brown them in about two tablespoons of olive oil in a deep skillet. When the meatballs have a nice color on them, remove them from the pan and deglaze with the tomatoes and some red wine, if you wish. Return the meatballs to the pan, add a little water to cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the pasta to the pot of boiling (salted) water. When the pasta is not quite done but still firm, add it to the skillet with the meatballs with enough of the pasta water to achieve the desired consistency. Let the pasta finish cooking and then serve, with more parsley or cheese on top as desired.
1 lb ground beef chuck
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/4 c grated romano cheese
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small bunch parsely, roughly chopped
1 egg
red chili flakes, salt and pepper
1 lb dried spaghetti
32 oz crushed tomatoes (one big can or two small cans)
Begin boiling water for the pasta. Mix together everything except the pasta and the tomatoes. Form the meat mixture into medium-sized balls (there'll be a tendency to make them too big - resist it) and brown them in about two tablespoons of olive oil in a deep skillet. When the meatballs have a nice color on them, remove them from the pan and deglaze with the tomatoes and some red wine, if you wish. Return the meatballs to the pan, add a little water to cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the pasta to the pot of boiling (salted) water. When the pasta is not quite done but still firm, add it to the skillet with the meatballs with enough of the pasta water to achieve the desired consistency. Let the pasta finish cooking and then serve, with more parsley or cheese on top as desired.
