Spaghetti with Meatballs

Spaghetti con Polpetti

Its true that the combination of spaghetti and meatballs is not a traditional Italian dish. However, polpetti (meatballs) are a classic staple in the Italian kitchen traditionally eaten with crusty bread. Having said that, this Italo-American invention is great comfort food and a crowd-pleaser. The magic that comes from the tender meatballs is due to the breadcrumbs soaked in milk.

Recipe

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

½ an onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, grated

Olive oil

2 tablespoons of dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water to re-hydrate

1 cup of breadcrumb

1 cup of milk

700g of beef mince

Salt and pepper for seasoning

½ cup of grated parmesan cheese

½ cup of chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 egg, gently beaten

For the sauce:

Sofritto mix (½ onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick finely chopped in food processor)

Olive oil

700g bottle of tomato passata

400g tin of crushed tomatoes

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Gently fry the onion and garlic in olive oil then let cool

2. Drain the porcini mushrooms and finely chop into small pieces

3. Soak the breadcrumbs in milk until the milk is mostly absorbed

4. By hand, mix the beef mince with salt, pepper, parmesan and parsley

5. Add the porcini mushrooms, breadcrumbs and egg and continue to mix by hand until well incorporated and form into balls (golf ball sized)

6. Shallow fry in batches until browned and take out of the fry pan

7. Gently fry the sofrito mix in the oil left over from the meatballs until lightly caramelised. If there was not much oil left over you can add some more

8. Add the tomato passata and crushed tomatoes into the pan and place the meatballs into this sauce

9. Gently simmer for half an hour

10. Serve with cooked al dente spaghetti (500g for 4 people) or with crusty bread

11. Delizioso