Barefoot Contessa Spaghetti And Meatballs Food

BAREFOOT CONTESSA SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs. Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan. For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion 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, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper. Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

ROASTED ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Place the sirloin, pork, and veal in a large mixing bowl and lightly break up the meats with a fork and your fingertips. Add the bread crumbs, Pecorino, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Add the eggs, wine, and 3/4 cup water and combine lightly but thoroughly.
• Measure out 2-ounce portions of the mixture (I use a rounded 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop) and roll each lightly into a ball. Place one inch apart on the prepared sheet pans. Brush the meatballs with the olive oil.
• Bake the meatballs for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned. Pour the marinara into a large pot and bring to a simmer. Carefully add the meatballs and simmer for 10 minutes, until heated through.
• To serve with polenta, spoon a puddle of creamy Parmesan polenta on one side of each dinner plate. Spoon 1 or 2 meatballs plus a puddle of tomato sauce on the other side, allowing them to combine in the center of the plate. To serve with spaghetti, distribute among shallow pasta bowls. Spoon the meatballs and sauce onto the pasta. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan and serve hot.
• Place the chicken stock in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and cook over medium-high heat until the stock comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and very slowly whisk in the cornmeal, whisking constantly to make sure there are no lumps. Switch to a wooden spoon, add the salt and pepper, and simmer, stirring almost constantly, for 10 minutes, until thick. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan thoroughly while you're stirring. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, creme fraiche, and butter. Taste for seasonings and serve hot with extra Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

REAL MEATBALLS AND SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl.
• Very gently, combine the ingredients with a fork or your hands until barely blended (overworking the mixture may make the meatballs tough!).
• Gently form the mixture into approximately 14-16 meatballs and set aside.
• Heat equal amounts of vegetable and olive oil into a large skillet and place the meatballs in the skillet in small batches (do not crowd meatballs) to brown on all sides over medium-low heat. This will take about 10 minutes.
• When they are done, remove them to a paper towel covered plate to drain.
• When finished browning all the meatballs, pour off the oils, but do not clean the skillet.
• To make the sauce, add the 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet and saute the onion over medium heat until translucent.
• Add the garlic and cook about a minute longer, but be careful not to burn the garlic.
• Add the red wine and scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pan.
• To complete the sauce, add the tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover the pan, and simmer on low heat for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Serve with the cooked spaghetti and parmesan.
• Note: The sauce and meatballs freezes well for leftovers.