Tuesday, May 05, 2020

JOHN CHUCKMAN ORIGINAL RECIPE: SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS - GARLIC BREAD


JOHN CHUCKMAN ORIGINAL RECIPE: SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Always a favorite dish of mine. My ideal was what was served at a charming little Italian restaurant called Manzo’s on Chicago’s North Side in the 1960s. It was a sweet little place with checkered table cloths and Chianti-bottle candles on the tables. With subdued light and candles and family-like staff, it had a homey, friendly atmosphere I quite loved.

The spaghetti and meatballs came as a large plate of pasta covered with thick tomatoey sauce and two large meatballs, the size of small fists, on top. I never ordered anything else. Just its appearance was mouth-watering. That memory was my guide over the years in developing a recipe.

Squeeze sweet Italian sausages out of their casings into a bowl. Match with an equal amount of ground beef.

Add a generous amount of breadcrumbs - preferably Panko and salt and pepper to taste.

Two whole large eggs. Hand-squeeze the mixture until is homogenised.

Form into very large meatballs and sauté in in a frypan until golden on all sides. My favorite method is to use two forks, turning the meatballs frequently.

When browned, carefully drop them into a pot of simmering red sauce (see my recipe). For spaghetti and meatballs, I prefer the sweeter version of the sauce. Simmer slowly for a good hour.

Serve two meatballs and a generous drizzle of sauce top of a small mountain of al dente spaghetti.  Sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan and serve with my garlic bread and glasses of dry red wine.

Note: the meatballs also work nicely with a generous dollop of the garlic puree prepared (below) for garlic bread, but I prefer not using the garlic for spaghetti and meatballs.

_______________________

JOHN CHUCKMAN ORIGINAL RECIPE: GARLIC BREAD

Place several large, peeled buds of fresh garlic in a mortar-and-pestle.

Sprinkle with a bit of salt, which adds flavor and gives the texture needed for successfully crushing the garlic.

Smash the garlic thoroughly, and add to some olive oil or other oil. I find simple Canola oil works nicely. It is my go-to basic cooking oil.

Generously paint this mixture onto slices of thickly-cut baguette or other crusty bread and set on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Place in a 375-degree oven until just lightly golden. Serve immediately.

An option is to sprinkle each piece of coated bread with some freshly-ground Parmesan before baking. I like it both ways, but prefer it without cheese to accompany spaghetti and meatballs.