Brown the meatballs	Spaghetti and Meatballs

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

Source: Sauce Magazine, November 19, 2015

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

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Ingredients

• 6 oz artisanal day-old white bread, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups)

• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

• 1 1/4 lb ground lamb

• 1 1/4 lb ground pork

• 1 egg

• 2 1/2 tsp chopped fresh garlic

• 2 tsp lemon zest

• 2 tsp kosher salt

• 1 1/4 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 3/4 tsp chopped fresh thyme

• 3/4 tsp fennel pollen

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 14.5-oz can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, pureed

• Spaghetti with Herbs and Cheese (see recipe)

• Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

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Preparation

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.

In a large bowl, soak the bread in the buttermilk about 20 minutes. Add 1/4 pound lamb and 1/4 pound pork to the bread mixture and mix until well incorporated. Add the remaining lamb, the remaining pork, the egg, garlic, lemon zest, salt, rosemary, black pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme and fennel pollen and mix well. Use your hands to form the meat mixture into baseball-sized meatballs, 6- to 8-ounces each.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the meatballs, turning every few minutes to sear all sides, about 10 minutes. Place the meatballs in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.

Pour the tomato puree into the skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Pour the sauce over the meatballs.

Bake 2 hours. Serve over spaghetti. Garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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Spaghetti with Herbs and Cheese

• 1 lb dried spaghetti

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 Tbsp minced shallot

• 1 cup grated Parmesan

• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 4 tsp lemon juice

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook until just shy of al dente, 6 to 7 minutes. Reserve 2 cups pasta water, then drain the spaghetti and set aside.

Return the pot to the stove over medium heat and add the oil. Add the garlic and shallot and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the spaghetti, Parmesan, parsley, red pepper flakes and 1 cup pasta cooking water. Toss until the spaghetti is cooked to al dente and the sauce coats the pasta, about 5 minutes. Add more pasta cooking water as needed if the sauce is too thick. Stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.