party tested pasta sauce, meatball version

Fellow foodie blogger Masako hosted a pasta party at her house a few nights ago when I was visiting, and I volunteered to make the sauces (it was the least I could do!). Two other foodie bloggers – Padraig and Elizabeth – were also in attendance. This was the recipe I made, adapted from the Barefoot Contessa recipe for spaghetti and meatballs on the Food Network website. The veggie sauce recipe will follow shortly – enjoy!

Dinner Party Spaghetti and Meatballs
makes about 8 servings

Ingredients
For the meatballs:

1 1/2 pound ground pork
1 1/2 pound ground beef
about 1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs (up to 1 cup fresh crumbs would be great!)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 medium or large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp basil
1 1/2 tsp oregano

Vegetable oil
Olive oil

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4-5 large cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup good red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp dry basil (or 1/4 cup chopped fresh)
2-3 whole bay leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

tomato paste in squeeze-able tube (optional)

For serving:

1 pkg dry spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Lightly beat eggs in large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients, mix with hands and then fluff with a fork. Using your hands again, lightly form the mixture into 1 inch meatballs. Don\’t squish the meat – this will make the meatballs too dense!

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large dutch oven to a depth of 1/8-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on at least 2 sides (better if browned all over, but this can take too long) over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. Don\’t crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of oil and don\’t clean the dutch oven. (If you\’re browning in a skillet, just reserve ~3 tbsp oil and as many of the brown bits as possible. Add this to the bottom of large sauce pot and continue by adding onions.)

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and green pepper, a light sprinkling of salt, and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining sauce ingredients, except for the tomato paste.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for at least 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Simmer longer if possible. About 15 min before serving, check sauce thickness. If you want it thicker, add some tomato paste. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.