A few years back I took a trip to Europe. I loved everywhere I went, but one thing that was absolutely AMAZING was the food in Italy. I mean.... what? My palate was on overload! I went to these itsy-bitsy cafe's where 80% of the restaurant was outside and eat some delicious food. The menu's weren't big and at most places you had a choice of red or white house wine. It was so simplistic... yet soooo good. I have always been a firm believer that you can learn a lot about a culture through their food. So what did I learn? Italians have an intimate relationship with food. It is not so much about who can make the biggest BADDEST dish or use the most fancy ingredients. All the restaurants are making the same food and using their family recipes. It's not so much about being a chef or owning a restaurant, but instead its about a family tradition. Bringing EVERYONE together...through food!
This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten.
Meatballs:
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
- 1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 extra-large egg, beaten
- Vegetable oil
- Olive oil
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil (your preference)
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti (I used a Merlot and it worked great, too!)
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Garlic Bread:
- 1 loaf of french bread
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
- 1/2 a stick of butter
Combine everything on your plate and top off with some garlic bread and freshly grated parmesan.
No comments:
Post a Comment