Spaghetti and Meatballs All'Amatriciana

For our annual "Mr. & Mrs. E." Christmas dinner, we decided to do something a little bit different this year as we wanted to make sure of the ingredients we had on hand in our home since we will be away for the holidays. Luckily, we still had one final batch of frozen tomatoes leftover from our summer garden. Therefore we decided to forgo the usual Christmas dinner of scallops, bacon, mashed potatoes and chocolate mousse in exchange for homemade pasta and sauce with cookies from our cookie exchange! I made traditional egg fettuccine (I like my noodles thick!) and Mr. E. spent 3 hours slaving away in the kitchen making these delicious meatballs and sauce.... it was worth the extra time! If 3 hours sounds daunting, you could easily spread out the work load by making the meatballs one night and the sauce the following evening. Enjoy!


Spaghetti and Meatballs All'Amatriciana

Ingredients
Meatballs
* 6 ounces uncured applewood-smoked bacon (about 6 slices), diced
* 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
* 2 pounds ground beef (15% fat)
* 2/3 cup chopped drained roasted red peppers from jar
* 2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
* 2 large eggs
* 1/2 cup coarsely grated onion
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram
* 2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

* 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice (preferably San Marzano)
* 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
* 6 ounces uncured applewood-smoked bacon (about 6 slices), cut crosswise into thin strips
* 1 tablespoon (or more) extra-virgin olive oil
* 3 cups finely chopped onions
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
* 2 cups dry white wine
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram

Pasta

* 1 1/2 pounds spaghetti
* 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh marjoram
* Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation
MEATBALLS

*Place bacon in processor. Using on/off turns, grind to coarse paste. Transfer to large bowl. Using garlic press, squeeze in garlic. Gently mix in beef and all remaining ingredients. Let stand 15 minutes.

*Line large rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Using moistened hands and scant 2 tablespoonfuls for each, roll meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Arrange meatballs on sheet. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap; chill.

sauce

*Puree tomatoes with juice and garlic in batches in blender until smooth.

*Cook bacon in large pot over medium heat until crisp; transfer bacon to plate.

*Add 1 tablespoon oil to drippings in pot and heat over medium heat. Add half of meatballs. Cook until brown on all sides, turning carefully with small metal spatula, about 9 minutes. Transfer meatballs to baking sheet. Add more oil to pot if needed and repeat with remaining meatballs.

*Increase heat to medium-high. Add onions and crushed red pepper to pot. Sauté until golden, about 6 minutes. Add wine; boil until reduced by half, stirring up browned bits, about 8 minutes. Add tomato puree and marjoram. Boil until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

*Mix bacon into sauce. Add meatballs; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until meatballs are heated through and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

PASTA

* Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain; transfer to large bowl. Toss with 2 tablespoons oil and marjoram, adding more oil to moisten, if desired. Divide spaghetti among bowls. Top with meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and serve, passing additional cheese separately.

Bon Appetit Magazine, January 2010.

Focaccia

I think focaccia can make any sandwich taste delicious. When Mr. E. and I were in Italy this summer we ever had pizza (not very similar to American pizza) that was made on focaccia bread.. delicious! Focaccia topped with pesto... Focaccia topped with sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella! Yum... so when I received the new cookbook I mentioned in my last blog post, I was happy to read how easy focaccia is to make at home. There is also a recipe for focaccia dulce that I may attempt in the coming weeks...

Focaccia

Ingredients:
peeled Yukon gold potato cut into 1 inch chunks (about 1 cup)
2.5 cups water (55-65 degrees F)
4.5 cups Bread flour
2.5 tsp instant or active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 cup EVOO or grapeseed oil (you can find this at a Wegmans, World Market and sometimes TJ Maxx)

1. Cook the potato until the chunks fall apart when pierced with a fork or knife (I cooked it in the microwave for 7 minutes)

2. Use a food processor to puree the potatoes and water until smooth. Bring the water and potato mixture to 120 degrees (once again, in the microwave for about 1.5 minutes).

3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar and half the salt. Add the potato puree and using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix until you have a wet stick dough, about 1-2 minutes. Cover the bowland let sit at room temperature until the dough is tripled in size, 2-3 hours.

4. Lightly oil a 13 x 18 inch rimmed baking sheet. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough onto the baking pan, it will still be loose and sticky so if put some EVOO on your hands to keep from sticking. Gently pull the dough and stretch it across the surface of the pan, then oil your hands and press the dough evenly out to the edges. Drizzle with 3 T of the oil and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Use your fingertips to create dimples all over the surface of the dough. Let the dough rise in a warm draft-free spot until it has risen just over the edges of the pan, about 45 minutes to an hour.

5. 30 minutes before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 400 degree with a rack in the center.

6. Gently place the focaccia in the oven on the center rack (the risen dough is delicate; a bump going into the oven could collapse it) and back for 30-45 minutes until the top is evenly golden brown. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool and give it at least a few minutes before slicing and serving warm or at room temperature.

I ended up making a sandwich with fresh avocado and bacon on the focaccia... delicious!

Basic No Knead Bread

One of my goals for the New Year is to learn to make my own bread. In our small town, the local grocery store has the best bread but unfortunately it is brought in from San Francisco and it is quite pricey. We LOVE the sourdough bread in particular. However, I would like to learn to make all kinds of bread at home without a bread machine. I would also like to grow my own starter (which will continuously be fed) so that I have a constant supply in the refrigerator for sourdough bread! To begin... Mr. E's grandmother gave me the cookbook "My Bread" by Jim Lahey. This week I made my first batch and it was delicious!

Ingredients:
3 c. bread flour
1.25 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp instant or actie dry yeast
1 1/3 c. cool water (55 to 65 degrees F)
cornmeal or flour for dusting

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the four, salt, and yeast. Add the water and usin your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Make sure its really sticky to the touch, if its not, add water 1 T at a time. Cover the bowl with a plate, tea towel or plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours and dough is doubled in size.

2. When the first fermentation is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a spatula to scrape the dough onto the work surface in one piece. When you begin to pull the dough away from the bowl it will cling in long, thin strands and it will be quite loose and sticky-do not add more flour. Use lightly floured hands to lift the edges of the dough in towards the center. Nudge and tuck the edges of the dough to make it round.

3. Place a linen tea towel on your work surface and generously dust the cloth with wheat bran, cornmeal or flour. Fold the ends of the towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place it in a warm draft free spot for 2 hours until the dough is almost doubled. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. It you gently poke it with your finger and make an indentation about 1/4 inch deep, it should hold the impression. If it doesn't, let it rise for 15 more minutes.

4. 30 minutes before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475 degrees with a rack in the lower third position and place a covered 4.5 t0 5.5 qaurt heavy pot (Le Creuset works great!) in the center of the rack.

5. Using pot holders, carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the towel and lightly dust the dough with flour, lift up the dough and quickly but gently invert it into the pot, seam side up. Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.

6. Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep, chestnut brown but no burnt, around 15-30 minutes. Carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly. Don't slice or tear into it until it has cooled, which usually takes about an hour.

MMMM, enjoy! We savored this bread in the form of a cuban sandwich with homemade aioli, roasted pork, ham, and gruyere cheese!

Lahey, Jim & Flaste, Rick (2009). My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method.