Big Beef Meatballs With Bucatini By Rachael Ray Food

BEEF, BACON AND ONION SAUCE WITH BUCATINI

Steps:

• Heat the EVOO in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the guanciale, and cook to render the fat, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with black pepper, and then add the garlic, onions and bay leaf and cook until the onions are soft and sweet but not brown. Add the wine and reduce by half, then add the Beef and Tomato Base. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal.
• When ready to serve, reheat over medium heat and remove the bay leaf before serving.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the bucatini, and cook the pasta to al dente. Reserve a cup of the starchy cooking liquids. Drain the pasta, and return it to the pot with the butter and half of the reheated sauce. Toss with the cheese to combine, and serve in shallow bowls. Top with additional sauce and cheese.
• Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, pat the meat dry with paper towels and add half of the beef to the pan. Crumble the beef with a potato masher or wooden utensil. Cook to develop a deep brown color, season with salt and pepper, and then remove to a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining beef. Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir until fragrant. Then add the stock and the browned beef. Stir to combine, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

BUTTER-ME-UP SCAMPI BUCATINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the pasta and cook to just-shy of al dente. Remove and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.
• Add the shrimp, the seafood seasoning and 1 sliced lemon to a medium bowl and toss to coat. Reserve.
• Over low heat melt the butter in small pot, then stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Let cook and bubble gently for 10 minutes. Chop the parsley and set aside.
• Heat large skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat Add the fennel seeds and the shrimp with the lemon slices. Cook until the shrimp are pink, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the white wine or vermouth and the juice of 1 lemon. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley before serving.
• Drain the pasta. Add the pasta, reserved cooking water and butter to a pasta bowl and toss until the liquids are absorbed by the pasta, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

ON TOP OF OLE SMOKY, ALL COVERED WITH CHEESE: SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Add the pork and beef to a bowl and season liberally with salt and pepper. Trim the crust of bread and chop into fresh breadcrumbs in a food processor, scrape into a small bowl and soak in milk. Return the processor to the base. Squeeze out some of the liquid from the bread and add the moistened bread to the meat, season with a little freshly grated nutmeg, a few grates. Add a beaten egg yolk and half of the chopped parsley to the bowl, a couple of tablespoons. Add 2 cloves finely chopped garlic to the meat. Add the mortadella to the food processor and pulse to very finely chop the meat, add to the ground meats along with a couple of handfuls of grated pecorino. Drizzle the meat liberally with extra-virgin olive oil. Place a baking rack over a baking sheet or cover a baking sheet with parchment baking paper. Mix the meatballs and roll into large walnut-size balls and roast 12 to 15 minutes to light brown, but not cooked through.
• Meanwhile, heat extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pot, over medium to medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven. To the warm oil, add fennel seeds, chile pepper, onions, and sliced garlic, season with salt and pepper, and marjoram. Stir 4 to 5 minutes then add tomato paste and stir 30 seconds, pour in wine and stir a minute, then add stock and tomatoes. Break up the tomatoes into small bits and when sauce comes to a boil reduce heat to simmer, add a few leaves of torn basil, reserving a few for garnish. Add the remaining chopped parsley and gently slide in the meatballs. Simmer the mixture 15 to 20 minutes to combine flavors and finish cooking the meat through.
• Cook's Note: Cook the pasta at this time or if this is a make-ahead meal cool completely, cover and store. Reheat the sauce over medium heat covered until it bubbles then uncovered at gentle simmer while pasta cooks.
• Cook the pasta in large pot of boiling, salted water to al dente. Save about 1/2 cup starchy cooking liquid just before draining. Add the drained pasta back to the hot pot with butter, a few ladles of sauce and the reserved starchy liquid. Toss to combine and melt butter. Serve in bowls with lots of sauce and meatballs on top, lots of shaved cheese and a few leaves of torn basil.
• Serve with simple tossed greens salad if you like but it'll probably get ignored...it is spaghetti and meatballs night!

BIG BEEF MEATBALLS WITH BUCATINI

Steps:

• Preheat 400 degrees F. Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil.
• Mix meat with the grated onion, 3 cloves chopped garlic, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, allspice, capers, sage, a handful of the chopped parsley, salt and pepper and a healthy drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Mix meat, score the meat into 4 sections and make 3 very large balls from each section. Arrange the 12 balls on a nonstick cookie sheet and roast 15 minutes until firm but not hard.
• Drop bucatini in salted boiling water to cook off. Drain.
• Add another tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet and the pancetta. Cook 3 to 4 minutes then add the remaining garlic and mushrooms to the pan and cook 5 minutes. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Add remaining chopped onion and deglaze the pan with wine, cook off 1 minute, add in stock and whisk up remaining drippings. Stir in the tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper, if necessary. Stir in parsley. Simmer 5 minutes.
• Toss pasta with half the sauce. Remove balls from oven and add to remaining sauce and turn to coat. Serve large balls, 3 per person, along side pasta. Spoon any remaining sauce over the pasta. Pass extra cheese at the tables.

BUCATINI ALL'AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water.
• Heat a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and pancetta. Cook pancetta 2 or 3 minutes then add onions and garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook 7 or 8 minutes more, until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes and parsley. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Simmer sauce over low heat until ready to serve.
• Cook bucatini pasta to al dente or, with a bite to it. Drain pasta well. Do not rinse. Starchy pasta holds more sauce. Toss hot pasta with sauce and serve. Pass grated cheese at the table to top pasta.

THE BIG MEATBALL

Steps:

• Preaheat oven to 350°.
• In a big mixing bowl, combine the beef, sausage, bread crumbs, parsley, cheese, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and eggs (this works best if you use your hands).
• Place the meat in the center of a 13x9 inch baking dish; shape mixture into a smooth rounded dome 3-4 inches high.
• Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes.
• Spoon or drain off any fat in the dish.
• Pour the marinara sauce over the loaf and bake 20 minutes; let stand 10 minutes.
• Serve meatloaf cut in wedges with about 2/3 cup sauce per serving.
• Left-overs: cut into chunks and reheat in additional marinara sauce; serve spooned into hero or grinder rolls; add a few slices of mozzarella cheese and sauteed green pepper, if you wish.

BIG BEEF BALLS WITH BUCATINI

Steps:

• Heat a deep skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions in 1 tablespoon of the EVOO (once around the pan) for 5 minutes. Remove the onions and set them aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, mix the meat with half the onions, 3 cloves of the chopped garlic, the egg, bread crumbs, cheese, allspice, capers, sage, a handful of the chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and a healthy drizzle of EVOO. Score the meat into 4 sections and make 3 very large balls from each section. Arrange the 12 balls on a nonstick cookie sheet and roast for 15 minutes until firm but not hard.
• Drop the bucatini in the salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta.
• While the pasta and meatballs are cooking, heat another tablespoon of EVOO in the skillet in which the onions were cooked. Add the pancetta and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the remaining garlic and the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Add the remaining onions back and deglaze the pan with the red wine, cook for 1 minute, add the beef stock, and whisk up any brown bits. Stir in the tomatoes and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining parsley. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Toss the pasta with half the sauce. Remove the meatballs from the oven and add to the remaining sauce, turning to coat. Serve 3 meatballs per person alongside the pasta. Spoon any remaining sauce over the pasta. Pass extra cheese at the table. Serve with a green salad.

BIG BEEF MEATBALLS WITH BUCATINI BY RACHAEL RAY

Steps:

• Instructions.
• Preheat 400 degrees F. Place a large pot of water over high heat and
• bring to a boil.
• Mix meat with the grated onion, 3 cloves chopped garlic, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, allspice,
• capers, sage, a handful of the chopped parsley, salt and pepper and a healthy drizzle of
• extra-virgin olive oil. Mix meat, score the meat into 4 sections and make 3 very large balls from
• each section. Arrange the 12 balls on a nonstick cookie sheet and roast 15 minutes until firm but
• not hard.
• Drop bucatini in salted boiling water to cook off. Drain.
• Add another tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet and the pancetta. Cook 3 to 4
• minutes then add the remaining garlic and mushrooms to the pan and cook 5 minutes. Season the
• mushrooms with salt and pepper. Add remaining chopped onion and deglaze the pan with wine, cook off
• 1 minute, add in stock and whisk up remaining drippings. Stir in the tomatoes and season sauce with
• salt and pepper, if necessary. Stir in parsley. Simmer 5 minutes.
• Toss pasta with half the sauce. Remove balls from oven and add to remaining sauce and turn to coat.
• Serve large balls, 3 per person, along side pasta. Spoon any remaining sauce over the pasta. Pass
• extra cheese at the tables.