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- February 11, 2009 1:39 PM PrintText
Lidia Bastianich's Spaghetti And Meatballs
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(CBS) It's probably everybody's favorite comfort food: spaghetti and meatballs.
And on The Early Show Monday, the "Queen of Italian Cuisine," famed chef, TV host and cookbook author Lidia Bastianich, prepared her version of the classic dish, making it even more comforting! She also offered some different ideas on how to serve the meatballs.
Bastianich hosts "Lidia's Italy" and penned, among other cookbooks, Lidia's Family Table and Lidia's Italian American Kitchen. The recipes she demonstrated Monday came from those two books.
It was all Part One of a new Early Show series, "Comfort From the Kitchen," focusing on some of winter's best comfort foods. After all, in tough times, the tough -- eat even more comfort food!
Bastianich showed her classic version of meatballs, using a combination of pork and beef. But she's quick to point out that meatballs can be delicious made with anything -- ground turkey, if you want something lighter. Even fish. Or, if you're looking for an easy shortcut, go with Italian sausage: Simply remove the casing and form the meat, which has already been flavored with herbs and spices, into meatballs.
She also showed that meatballs can be served in a variety of ways: small meatballs for kids, giant meatballs as the star of the meal, or as an appetizer, served on a bed of vegetables.
A bit of culinary history: Smaller meatballs are more traditionally Italian; the huge, hulking meatballs you find in Little Italy and other red sauce capitals are an Italian-American invention.
There's really nothing out of the ordinary in Lidia's meatballs: beef, pork, onions, breadcrumbs, garlic, etc. But she focuses on the process.
After forming the meatballs, you roll them in flour to help them brown nicely, then fry them in a bit of oil. Once they've browned all over, you drop them into some tomato sauce and allow them to simmer gently for 30 minutes or so.
Bastianich makes a very simple tomato sauce; she says that, as the meatballs cook, they continue to add complexity to the sauce.
Now, the really important part: You don't cook the pasta and then mix it directly into the red sauce. You want to cook and drain the pasta, then spoon two big ladlefuls of sauce over the noodles and toss until the strands are just coated. You can then spoon some meatballs on top of the spaghetti, or simply pass the meatballs on a platter, along with some extra sauce.
RECIPES
Spaghetti con Polpette di Carne
Spaghetti and Meatballs
from Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen
Makes 6 servings
For the Sauce:
Two 35-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes, (preferably San Marzano) with their liquid
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
2 bay leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the Meatballs:
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
1 cup fine, dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Description
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