Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs a dinner classic for any table. My Mother-in-Love was pure Sicilian and her recipes although when read I question have turned out to be mouthwatering originals. They have been passed down from generation to generation and I hope to carry this tradition on in my own family. 

Ingredients for your balls

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1 pound of ground pork
• 1 medium carrot- grated
• 2 stalks of celery-finely chopped (optional)
• 1 medium onion-grated
• 1/4 cup of whole milk
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups fresh chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt

For your Sauce

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1 medium onion chopped

2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 fresh bay leaves or 3 dried

1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes

2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 - 28 ounce cans of tomato sauce

1 - 28 ounce can of plum tomatoes crushed

First we need to get the sauce done this way it is ready for the balls when they are made. You want your balls to cook as long as possible in the sauce. This lets the flavor go to the balls keeping them moist and tender. 

Use a big pot as you will make the sauce and have the meatballs in this also. And as you cook you may want to add different ingredients. Like I always say you need to make recipes your own. So taste and add what makes your palate sing. 

Add some olive oil to the pot and cook the onion until softened. Turn down the heat and add your tomatoes and tomato sauce. Next add your vinegar and all your spices. Let this mixture simmer for as long as it takes to make your meatballs. Stir as you go. Lets get those meat balls done. 

First thing you must remember is that you do not want to over mix your meats this makes for a tough meatball. Have a large bowl ready to combine the ingredients for your meatballs. Place the beef and pork in the bowl and tear and mix them softly. Next top with your chopped carrot, celery  and onion. Let this sit covered while you get the wet ingredients together. Mixing them together in a separate bowl lessens the mixing of the meats. 

Place your bread crumbs into a small bowl add tour spices and mix well. Now make a well in the middle of the crumbs. Pour your milk into the well. Mix this together until well mixed. You want this mixture moist and easy to add to the meat mixture. 

Let it sit for a few minutes to soak up the flavor.

You want everything ready when you are going to mix the meat remember the key is mix less makes moist meatballs. The less you work the meat the better. That is why I mix the pork and beef softly at first. Then add the seasonings and veggies to the mixture without mixing until I have the bread mixture ready then do your thing with mixing softly. 

Once everything is mixed it is time to make your meatballs. I make them and pre-fry them in a skillet to get them browned up. Once they are a bit more solid I will add them to the sauce to finish them off and get that mixture of sauce and meatballs perfect. You can also cook your meatballs in the oven prior to adding them.

I personally like a bit of the flavor from frying. Let your mixture of sauce and meatballs sit and simmer for at least one hour. The longer the better just stirring frequently. I use my meatball with a light noodle pasta called bow ties. Enjoy next we will make them with sausage added. 

Oh Yum !

Meatball Soup

Meatball soup it is such a comfort food.
 Well this is a soup I have wanted to cook for a long time. Every time I go to our local restaurant I get the Albondigas soup. I had some leftover wild rice and tomato paste in the freezer. I made beef stock the day prior to the actual soup. Pa said it was the best soup I ever made. Doesn't that just seems to always happen. The things we do not plan and just throw together seem to be the best.

 

Most of my soups come from standing in front of the refrigerator and or freezer looking in blindly for leftovers to add to beef or chicken stock. And I always have some sort of stock Pressure canned waiting to be opened to create yet another delicious meal.

Ingredients

8 to 10 cups of beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 bag of frozen spinach or fresh 2 cups chopped or not
1 small can of tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion chopped
1/2 cup of any tiny pasta
1/4 cup parsley chopped

Meatball ingredients and info below  -

Parmesan cheese to top it when you serve it

 

Ok let us get our stock started actually you should start this first. Take your beef broth and add one small can of tomato paste, 1 chopped onion , 1 bay leaf and your bag of frozen spinach. Let this simmer for at least one hour. 

 

Mine sits on the stove all day. I start it in the morning and it gets tested at lunch and served for dinner. Once all these ingredients are together the tomato paste is broken down and the onions are beginning to soften add your little meatballs. Let this all simmer for enough time that it taste the way you want it.

Meatballs

2 cups of wild rice cooled
1 pound of ground beef
1 pound of ground turkey
1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs
1 egg
some of that parsley , salt and pepper




I like to prep stuff prior to cooking. The more you can have ready the easier it is to cook. And god knows we all want to enjoy the kitchen. I made my meatball's with some of the ground beef I had left from grinding my own. I added some ground turkey.




 I also put in the mix one egg, 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs, 2 cups of wild rice (cooked) , some  parsley and a little salt and pepper to taste. I combined all the ingredients together and made little meatballs they are about 1" round.




I like to bake them in the oven. I come out with about 25 little balls and I use half for my soup and freeze the others for another experiment day. Bake the little balls in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes they will be tender delicious.








The little trick I learned from my Grama is that if you put rice in your meatball's for soup the rice will soak up the flavor of the broth and make the meatballs juicy delicious. Cool Grammz
 





 There you go now top with Parmesan Cheese and dig in it is a meal in it's self. xoxo

Now I added the baby pasta to my soup about 20 minutes prior to serving it. See the little o'z.

Note to self if you plan on freezing the soup make the pasta separate or add it when you plan on eating it all. Pasta is a bitch to freeze it comes out mushy and make the soup to thick.