Spaghetti and Meatballs

Buongiorno!! If you come from an Italian American family, odds are you have had your fair share of Sunday night dinners. The family gathering in the kitchen…laughing, having a good time, maybe having a few sips of wine and cooking!! A classic Sunday night dinner is of course, Spaghetti and Meatballs. Every family has their own recipe and that is one of the things I love about certain recipes. Ever family has their own and that is what makes them so special.

I like the outside of my meatballs to get a little browned, but I know that that’s just me. We always have a debate in my household because my family prefers them softer, usually soaking in the tomato sauce. I myself like the exterior a bit crunchier. So I usually end up making two batches so I keep everyone happy and satisfied, that’s just my nature. My secret ingredient in my meatballs is…..wait for it…..ricotta!!! It makes them so light, tender, moist and delicious!! I love my recipe for meatballs; they are as perfect as meatballs can get, in my humble opinion. I obviously have to serve my meatballs with spaghetti and my classic tomato sauce.

Sweet little story about these meatballs…when I made these the other night for my family, as they were frying, the smell really reminded me of what I remember my Nonna Nettie’s Meatballs smelling like. I thought maybe it was just wishful thinking…but then I made a little test meatball (which I always do and highly suggest!) and gave it to my mom to try. She said “wow, these taste like grandmas.” To have my mother say that my meatballs, which I still remember my grandma frying specially for me over the weekend, is the absolute best compliment I could ever get about my cooking.

So try this recipe and let me know how it compares to yours!!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Tomato Sauce

¼ extra virgin olive oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. red pepper

2 large cans of San Marzano tomatoes

Handful of fresh basil, chopped

Prepare a medium size pot over medium heat. Add your olive oil and minced garlic. Allow the garlic to soften, but not brown. Add your salt, pepper and red pepper. Add your tomatoes and cook them down a little. Add a handful of the basil. Cook for 30 minutes covered on low heat, occasionally stirring.  You can start the meatballs now…

Spaghetti and Meatballs

1 pound of ground beef

1 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs

¼ cup parmigiana, grated

¼ ricotta

Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Handful of fresh basil, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large egg

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

½ cup olive oil

1 box of whole grain spaghetti

1 tbsp. salt, for the pasta water

Crumble the beef in a mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, parmigiana, ricotta, parsley, basil and garlic. Beat the egg with 1 tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper in a small bowl. Pour this over the meat. Mix the ingredients with cleans hands just until blended. DO NOT OVER MIX!! If you over mix, you will get really hard, tough meatballs. We don’t want that!! Shape the meatballs in balls. You can make them as big or small as you like, but make them roughly the same size so they cook at the same speed. Heat your olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Put the meatballs in the skillet and fry. Turn them when they are golden brown, around 10 minutes. Cook them for around 20 minutes. As I said, I prefer my meatballs well done. 

Start salted boiling water in a large pot over high heat. Pour in half of the tomato sauce over the meatballs. Cook for an additional 30 minutes in the sauce as the water boils. You will want to cook the meatballs until there is no pink in the center.

Once the water is boiling, add the spaghetti and stir. Once it is al dente, strain the pasta and add to the remaining tomato sauce. Serve a portion of the pasta with the meatballs and sauce over it. Buon Appetito!! 

Meatballs!!

Is there anything more comforting then a big bowl of meatballs covered in delicious gravy? I think not. For me, one of my favorite go to meals is spaghetti and meatballs, I know it’s very simple, but that’s why I love it so much.

Meatballs are pretty much exactly what they sound like. Balls of meat. Okay, okay, it’s a little more complex than that. They are made from ground meat, usually with some sort of bread crumbs or flour, egg and spices. Even though most people initially think Italian when they think of meatballs, something that I have always loved is that every culture has their own take on this classic delicious treat. 

Chinese meatballs are sometimes made with pork and steamed, in Germany, there are a famous version of meatballs called Konigsberger Klopse which contain anchovy or salted herring and when we think of Swedish food, you are automatically think of the Swedish Meatball covered in all of that delightful cream sauce. There are many other takes on the meatball, but if I told you all of them, well, then I could never get to my own, which is obviously Italian. Another fun little piece of information is that the ancient Roman cookbook, Apicius, contained many meatball type recipes. This meatball is a classic family recipe from my mother, but I have altered it to make it gluten free.

These are just delicious. I hate a very soft meatball, but I also hate a hard one, these are a perfect combination. Not too hard, not too soft. Goldilocks would love them!! (you get it, right?) I make them in my favorite classic tomato sauce that I have posted before, you just can’t go wrong. Many meatballs are made with a combination of pork, beef or veal, but I prefer to keep mine strictly beef.  Enjoy!!

Gluten Free Meatballs

1 ½ pounds of ground beef

½ cup of grated parmigiana

1 egg

2 tsp. dried basil

2 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

¼ cup of almond flour

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine beef, parmigiana, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, red pepper and almond flour until thoroughly mixed. I like to use my hands, it just works best.

Line a baking sheet with oiled tin foil or parchment paper and shape your meatballs. Make them whatever you size you like and line them up on your pan. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until nice and golden. Serve with my classic signature tomato gravy.

Classic Tomato Gravy

6 cloves of garlic (or as much as you like)

15 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

¼ cup olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Basil (finely chopped)

Crushed Italian herbs

Coarsely chop your garlic and add to a small pot over medium heat, cook until soft. Add tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, basil and crush Italian herbs. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve yourself some meatballs and a large ladle full of tomato gravy directly over them. Buon Appetito!! 

Chef Chat: Diego Ortoli of Portofino Cucina Italiana

Chef Chat: Diego Ortoli of Portofino Cucina Italiana

Ciao a tutti!! I am so excited to present my first interview with an Italian chef that will be part of a new feature called Chef Chat. This month, I am delighted to introduce you to Diego Ortoli of Portofino Cucina Italiana in downtown Los Angeles. Portofino Cucina Italiana brings the true feeling of Italian culture to Los Angeles, blending tradition, simplicity and authentic food and atmosphere.Be sure to take a look at the restaurants site so you can savor all of the delicious menu items and read more about Diego and his restaurant- http://portofinodtla.com/

Chef Diego Ortoli and his wife Atsuko

You grew up in Naples, famous for its tomatoes and lemons. Has that inspired your menu?



Diego's Spaghetti con Polpette at Portofino

Yes, of course. I grew up in the sun, where food is prepared simple with fresh ingredients every day. I wanted to have on my menu at least one of my favorite foods I enjoyed eating when little. So I decided to offer a very simple but classic dish as Spaghetti Pomodoro e Basilico. It's beautifully light but packed with flavours. We make it to order with just juicy, organic fresh tomatoes, organic garlic, organic basil and extra virgin olive oil. You can't have anything more simple, yet a timeless recipe that never fails to satisfy people.

What is your signature dish and would you please share the recipe with us?

I'll share how we prepare the spaghetti Pomodoro.

You'll have to make an incision on some ripe fresh tomatoes and then blanch them for about 10 seconds. Then put them in a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking. This way you'll be able to easily take the skin off. Take them from the water, drain, chop them and put them aside for later.

Once you want to make the sauce, you'll gently heat some olive oil in a skillet, then add about a tablespoon of chopped garlic and cook until golden brown, then add the tomatoes you blanched and a couple of tablespoons of shredded basil. Adjust with salt and pepper and cook briefly until the tomato sauce is ready (about 5 minutes). If you like, you can add parmesan cheese to the pasta once on the plate.



Fettuccine alla Piemontese at Portofino

When did you first fall in love with cooking?

I think it happened gradually. I remember my mom was a teacher and sometimes she had to work the evening shift (yes, we have that too in Italy, at some times of the year). So she'd call and tell me how to cook something for me and my younger brother. I think I learned how to cook over the phone. Kinda cool. Somehow all that cooking lessons stayed with me and eventually I used that knowledge to my advantage.

I saw that you offer a gluten free menu at Portofino which is fantastic for those with gluten allergies. A lot of Italian food centers around pasta, risotto, bread and pizza, what made you add this feature to your menu?

Yes, we have an extensive gluten free menu that offers plenty of choices and we're also adding more items like gnocchi and ravioli especially made gluten free. Oh and we have a fabulous gluten free flourless chocolate cake. Really delicious!

The idea was brought to me by many of my customers who told me they discovered they have some degree of gluten intolerance. Therefore to satisfy those requests, I started looking into it. I then discovered that gluten free pasta is actually tasty. And bread too. Some breads more than others, but once toasted is pretty tasty. So I started putting together the menu and now we have so many people on a gluten free lifestyle coming here and enjoying Italian food in a restaurant again.

Inside Portofino Cucina Italiana

What is the most popular dish at Portofino? 

Gnocchi, hands down. We make them fresh every morning. They are so magic. Fluffy and light, they just melt in your mouth. We offer the selection of three classic sauces, Bolognese, Pesto, and Gorgonzola (a little rich, but my favourite!)

A lot of people love Italian food, as a matter of fact, you have to look hard to find people who don’t like it, what do you think it is about Italian food that makes people enjoy it so much and brings everyone together?

Tiramisu at Portofino

Well Italian food is comforting, that's what it is. And of course is also very tasty. My only regret is that some people associate it with something heavy. I strongly disagree. Eating Italian food is not going to make you feel heavy more than American food or French food. Can you imagine eating a bacon cheeseburger with avocado and fries? That's heavy.

Pasta is a very balanced food in itself. It has proteins, carbs and a little of fat. At the most what CAN be heavy is the sauce YOU choose to eat with it.

You want to stay slim as most Italians in Italy? Just avoid creamy white sauces and don't fill up yourself with the free bread (my mom would have never allowed me to eat it before my meals).

I feel like it's important to bring this to people’s attention. We already live in a society that frowns upon carbs, and sending a positive message about Italian food is necessary now more than ever before. Some people are brainwashed to think carbs are bad, always. Like my mom was always telling me, everything is good in moderation. I want to take this opportunity to remind that to people, after all a little obvious but reminding it can't hurt.

Food can transport me to another time and make me remember something wonderful. I am always talking about my Nonna’s fried cauliflower and what beautiful memories I have of her making it for me. What are some of your favorite food memories?

Making cakes with my mom. Once a year at my b-day she'd make a strawberry cake I absolutely loved. That was a happy time. She really tried to make us feel we were not missing on anything. She'd always say, “I make it for you so it's fresh and we know is genuine. If I just buy it it's easy, but I make it for you and it tastes better.” I totally agree with it. I have to say she knows how to make it very good. I don't think I can match the deliciousness of her strawberry cake, actually!

Are any of the recipes from Portofino family recipes? And if so, who are they from? 

Well they are all, more or less, family recipes. We are proud to serve traditional Italian food at Portofino. We take the recipes we believe represent the traditional way of cooking a specific dish and avoid changing it. Sometimes, especially younger people, seems to me are looking for dishes with extra bold flavors – lots of ingredients, meats, bacon and so on. Italian food is in most cases just the opposite. Less is more here.  And believe me, less IS more.

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I hope you have enjoyed reading this interview with Diego as much as I have!! Please take a look at his site and make your reservations right away!! http://portofinodtla.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/PortofinoDTLA?fref=ts