Falling in Love over Pasta - Recipe: Spaghetti & Meatballs

As a child, I loved Walt Disney cartoons. They have a way of appealing to basic human sensibilities. I still tear when I rewatch The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas,  and Mulan. I'm such a sap. Whenever I think of Spaghetti and Meatballs, I remember renting Lady and the Tramp on vcr. Pah, what can I say. It has a great story about love that defies the odds, dogs and Italian food all rolled into one. There's something incredibly comforting about pasta - it's the sort of meal that is meant to be shared and enjoyed with people that you love. 

Here's my version of this Italian classic.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:
350 g ground beef
350 ground pork
2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten lightly
1 red onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs, seasoned lightly
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp dried Italian herbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix beef and pork and Worcestershire, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, garlic and herbs. Season to taste. salt. Don't overmix. Roll into meatballs the size of golf balls. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Pasta:
500 g spaghetti

For the sauce:
2 tbsp good quality olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (add extra if you like your sauce spicy)
2 Italian sausages, sliced
1 large brown onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1/2 red or green capsicum, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
200 g fresh button mushrooms, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 sticks of fresh thyme
1 tsp Italian herbs
1/2 cup red wine such as Chianti
4-5 tbsps tomato paste
2 x 400g cans whole plum tomatoes in their juices
1/2 cup beef stock or water
Handful of fresh basil, chopped
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste
Handful of freshly grated Parmesan

To serve:
Basil and flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1/2-3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Method:

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add meatballs, in batches, and brown on all sides. Remove to a separate bowl with a slotted spoon. When you have browned meatballs, add Italian sausage and red pepper flakes,  fry for about 3-4 minutes until the lightly brown. Add onion, carrots, celery, capsicum and garlic, lower heat to medium and saute for about 5-10 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add mushrooms, bay leaves, thyme and Italian herbs, and season lightly with salt and pepper. When mushrooms have released their liquid, add tomato paste and stir around for about 1-2 minutes until it darkens. Raise heat a little, add red wine, and reduce to about half the amount. Add canned tomatoes, beef stock or water and bring to boil. Return meatballs, along with their pan juices. Cover the pan, and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add additional water if necessary. 

When your sauce is almost done, bring a large stockpot of water to boil. Add a pinch of sea salt, a lug of olive oil and cook pasta according to package instructions.

As your pasta is cooking, the tomato sauce should be thick and fragrant by this point. Adjust seasoning, adding sugar to balance the acidity if necessary. When the sauce has reached the consistency desired, throw in basil and Parmesan, stir well.

Drain pasta and return to the stock pot. Add sauce and toss well. Serve immediately, garnished with additional basil and flat-leaf Italian parsley, and Parmesan.