Italian comfort food served up for friends

Tonight, my Fiance and I are having our friends John and Tiffany over for dinner.  At their request, I am making Italian cuisine!  I was thrilled when they said they have been craving it, so I am going to treat them to the best recipe I know... my Nanny's Spaghetti and Meatballs :-)  If I could choose just one recipe that would represent who I am, this would be it, hands down.  Growing up, my Grandmother's house always smelled like homemade spaghetti sauce, and most of the time, there was a full pot of it simmering on the stove.  She loved having all of her grandchildren over for a big spaghetti dinner every few months, and I treasured these moments, where taking seconds of everything was a must!  Her recipe for both the sauce and meatballs is what I make when I'm craving a taste of home... my version of "comfort food." Sometimes I like to add in a different ingredient to experience a different layer of flavor, such as Italian sausage or a sprig of Rosemary, but tonight, this is my Nanny's sauce, just how I remember it.  My first blog post featured her signature sauce recipe, and this post will feature her meatballs.

Southern Italian spaghetti is never served without a bowl of moist and tender meatballs... the kind that have been cooked in olive oil on the stove, and then simmered in homemade sauce all day long!  The meatballs marinate in the sauce to create a perfect marriage of deep rich Italian flavor.  It's a match made in heaven!

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Nanny's Italian Meatballs

Ingredients:

1lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon Parsley
1 tablespoon Oregano
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
4 cloves minced garlic
1 - 8oz. can Hunt's tomato sauce (if needed)

Directions:
Combine all of the above ingredients into a large bowl with your hands, but be careful to not over-mix or the meat will become tough.  Form 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper until you are ready to cook.

Heat a few tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.

Add the meatballs to the oil very carefully and partially cover with a lid to minimize splattering of the hot oil.  Flip the meatballs when browned (after about 4-5 minutes) to cook on the other side.

When fully cooked, remove meatballs to a paper towel to drain off excess oil.

Add meatballs, one at a time, to the simmering pot of spaghetti sauce.

Cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for at least 3 hours.  The longer this sauce simmers, the better it will taste!

When you are ready to eat, choose a good brand of thin spaghetti.  I prefer Barilla Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti.  If you do not like the whole wheat or whole grain pastas, by all means use the regular stuff.  I find that the sauce is what makes the different.  Pair this homemade sauce with any pasta that is cooked perfectly al dente, and you can't go wrong!  Make sure to adequately salt your pasta water (NEVER ADD OIL), and add in the pasta when it comes to a full and rapid boil, stirring a few times to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.  Since overcooked pasta is the WORST, if you do anything, under-cook your pasta by a minute or two, drain it, and then combine it with your sauce, allowing both to cook together before serving.  The pasta will start to absorb the flavor of the sauce and stick to the noodles.  Top your spaghetti with some freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, twirl up a big forkful, and enjoy!


Note: I like to remove the meatballs and big chunks of pork from the sauce and place them in a bowl to serve up family-style on the table.  Doing this makes it easier to combine the sauce with the cooked pasta without breaking up your wonderful meatballs in the process.
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I hope you take the time to make this delicious Spaghetti and Meatballs combination next time you are in the mood for some Italian food.

As Lidia Bastianich says at the end of each of her tv shows... "Tutti a tavola a mangiare!", which means: Everyone to the table to eat!  


Ciao,
Librarian turned Foodie