Bon Appétit (January 2010)
With apologies to Italy, is there any dish that's more classic Americana comfort food than spaghetti and meatballs?
Just the phrase "spaghetti and meatballs" is almost silly in how evocative it is of the kids' plate at a red-sauce, checkered-tablecloth Italian joint.
In fact, when we had our friends Ken and Jeff over for dinner recently, we were almost sheepish to announce the menu. Let's face it: "Spaghetti and meatballs" just doesn't sound like an impressive dish.
One bite of these Meatballs All'Amatriciana, though, and all our Chef Boyardee notions of spaghetti and meatballs flew right out the window.
Let's get one thing out of the way: These meatballs are a lot of work.
But let's get another thing out of the way as well: They're worth it.
This dish is not hard to make, but all that mixing and rolling and sauteing is a time-consuming process. Altogether, it's roughly a 90-minute dish and it's mostly "active time," as the magazines would say.
Since we were making these meatballs for a mid-week dinner for guests, we knew we couldn't make the whole meal that night. Or rather, we could, but we'd be in the kitchen the entire time and dinner would be served after ten o'clock. Welcome guests! To save some time, we formed our meatballs the night before, wrapped and then refrigerated them, which worked well.
Getting dinner ready the following night was relatively easy: Saute the meatballs, make the sauce, and then add the meatballs to the sauce. Toss with spaghetti. No single step is overly taxing, but just takes a bit of time.
But as we said, it's all worth it. These meatballs are spicy and comforting at the same time. Thanks to the addition of bacon in both the meatballs and the sauce, there's a smoky richness throughout the dish that really takes it up a notch. The red pepper gives both the red sauce and meatballs a kick. (In fact, if you're sensitive to spiciness, you may want to tone down the red pepper a bit.)
This dish is full of classic flavors that are head-swimmingly delicious. We promise you'll never think of spaghetti and meatballs as hokey kids' fare again.
Spaghetti and Meatballs All'Amatriciana
Bon Appétit (January 2010)
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(This photo: Bon Appétit)
INGREDIENTS
Meatballs:
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 pounds ground beef (15% fat)
2/3 cup chopped drained roasted red peppers from jar
2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)*
2 large eggs
1/2 cup coarsely grated onion
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram
2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sauce:
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice (preferably San Marzano)
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
6 ounces uncured applewood-smoked bacon (about 6 slices), cut crosswise into thin strips
1 tablespoon (or more) extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups finely chopped onions
1 1/2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram
Pasta:
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh marjoram
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Place bacon in processor. Using on/off turns, grind to coarse paste. Transfer to large bowl. Using garlic press, squeeze in garlic. Gently mix in beef and all remaining ingredients. Let stand 15 minutes.
Line large rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Using moistened hands and scant 2 tablespoonfuls for each, roll meat mixture into 11/2-inch meatballs. Arrange meatballs on sheet. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap; chill.
For sauce:
Puree tomatoes with juice and garlic in batches in blender until smooth.
Cook bacon in large pot over medium heat until crisp; transfer bacon to plate.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to drippings in pot and heat over medium heat. Add half of meatballs. Cook until brown on all sides, turning carefully with small metal spatula, about 9 minutes. Transfer meatballs to baking sheet. Add more oil to pot if needed and repeat with remaining meatballs.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add onions and crushed red pepper to pot.
Sauté until golden, about 6 minutes. Add wine; boil until reduced by half, stirring up browned bits, about 8 minutes. Add tomato puree and marjoram. Boil until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Mix bacon into sauce. Add meatballs; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until meatballs are heated through and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
For pasta:
Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain; transfer to large bowl. Toss with 2 tablespoons oil and marjoram, adding more oil to moisten, if desired. Divide spaghetti among bowls. Top with meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and serve, passing additional cheese separately.
* Available in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets and at Asian markets.
