Recipe: Classic spaghetti and meatballs

With grey and rainy weather, it’s once again time to dig into some comfort food.

And what could be more comforting than the old classic of spaghetti and meatballs?

Mark Perrier, partner and food director with Pepino’s Spaghetti House and Osteria Savio Volpe is sharing this easy to make and hearty dish that will help you forget the rainy weather.

Ingredients

Sauce

• Olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic (whole)
• 2 onions chopped
• Chili flakes (to taste)
• Fresh basil
• 4 jars of tomato passata

Meatballs

• 2 cups packed bread (day old, no crust)
• Milk to soak
• 2 eggs
• 500 g beef
• 500 g pork
• ¼ cup grana
• 1/8 cup pecorino
• 200 g. ricotta
• 1 bunch parsley (fine chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• Chili flakes (to taste)
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ cup dried breadcrumbs as needed

Pasta

• Store bought Spaghetti (Italian bronze die extruded preferred)

Method

Sauce

• Combine oil and garlic cloves cooking gently and slowly until soft and golden. This will take at least ½ so don’t rush it
• Add onion and continue to cook until onion is very soft and broken down (1/2 hour)
• Add pinch of chili flakes and basil and fry one minute until fragrant
• Add tomato, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30-40 minutes until thickened slightly and flavors have come together

Meatballs

• Combine all ingredients
• Mix gently and form into tennis ball sized balls
• Fry balls off in olive oil till nicely browned
• Cover with the tomato sauce and simmer lightly for roughly one hour until fully cooked through and sauce is nicely flavored

Pasta

• Boil pasta according to directions on package, when al dente combine with meatballs and sauce
• Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce
• Plate, garnishing with grated romano cheese