Ken Homs East West Spaghetti And Meatballs Recipes

Steps:

• For the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Combine the ground meats in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk to soak.
• In a blender or food processor, combine the onion, basil, parsley and garlic into a thick puree. Add to the ground meats. Add the milk and breadcrumbs, cheese, salt and egg to the meat. Knead together until combined. Scoop into 2-ounce balls (about 1 1/2 inches) on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment.
• Bake until browned, about 10 minutes.
• For the sauce: Lower the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix the tomatoes together with the salt in a casserole dish, then add the roasted meatballs. Cover with foil and bake, 1 hour.
• For spaghetti: Bring at least 6 quarts salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Place in a bowl and top with meatballs, sauce and grated parm.

Steps:

• Heat a heavy saucepan and swirl in the olive oil. When it's hot, add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Put the beef in a food processor and mix with the egg white and cold water for one minute. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Do not use a blender, as the mixture will be too dense. Then toss in the water chestnuts, soy sauces, rice wine, five spice powder, sugar, salt and pepper and mix for another 30 seconds. The mixture should be slightly coarse with bits of water chestnuts adding texture.
• Divide the mixture into 16 equal parts and roll each part into a meatball. Dust each meatball with potato starch. Heat a wok until it's hot and add 2 tablespoons of peanut oil. When the oil is hot and slightly smoking, drop in half of the meatballs, turn down the heat and slowly brown the meatballs. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and fry the remaining meatballs. Drain on paper towels.
• Place the meatballs in the cooked tomato sauce, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta to package directions.
• Arrange pasta on a platter, lay the meatballs on top, and pour sauce over all. Serve at once.

Steps:

• Make the tomato sauce:
• Heat a large, wide pot over medium-low and add oil and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden brown on all sides (if it starts to burn, reduce heat), 8-10 minutes. While garlic cooks, break up tomatoes into smaller pieces with a paring knife or kitchen shears. When garlic is almost ready, add red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until toasted and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, oregano, and pepper and stir, breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until well combined.
• Increase heat slightly and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened and flavors have concentrated, at least 2 hours and up to 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the meatballs:
• Place bread in a medium bowl, add milk, and let rest until moistened, about 5 minutes. Squeeze bread with your hands to remove excess milk, discarding milk. Tear bread into smaller, pea-size pieces and return to the medium bowl.
• Combine beef, pork, veal, eggs, garlic, 1 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup parsley, 1 tsp. salt, oregano, pepper, fennel, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Using your hands, gently mix in bread until ingredients are evenly distributed (do not overmix).
• Fill a small bowl with cool water. Moisten your hands and roll meat mixture between palms into golf-ball-sized balls, occasionally moistening hands as needed. Place meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet-you should have about 24-and chill until sauce is ready.
• Finish the sauce and cook the meatballs and pasta:
• After 2-3 hours of simmering, pluck out bay leaves and add basil. Using an immersion blender (or transfer sauce to a food processor or blender, working in batches, if necessary), purée until slightly chunky but not smooth. Reserve 1 1/2 cups sauce; keep remaining sauce in pot warm over very low heat.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high and add oil. Once hot, add meatballs to skillet (without crowding) and work in batches to brown on all sides, turning frequently, about 5 minutes per batch. Return meatballs to baking sheet as you brown them.
• Once all meatballs are browned, add them to pot with tomato sauce. If your pot is not large enough, divide sauce and meatballs between 2 pots. Increase heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, 10-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid, and return pasta to pot over medium-low heat. Spoon reserved 1 1/2 cups sauce over pasta and toss to coat. Add pasta cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, as needed to loosen sauce and coat pasta.
• Divide pasta among plates and top with meatballs and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup parsley.
• Do Ahead
• Sauce can be made, cooled, and refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Meatballs can be shaped and refrigerated 1 day in advance. Meatballs can be cooked in sauce, cooled, and refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.