Carla Halls Spaghetti And Pecan Meatballs Recipes

BEST SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions; saute until softened. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomato paste; cook 3-5 minutes. Add next 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 50 minutes., Combine the first 7 meatball ingredients. Add beef; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls., In a large skillet, heat canola oil over medium heat. Add meatballs; brown in batches until no longer pink. Drain. Add to sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until flavors are blended, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve with hot cooked spaghetti.

OUR FAVORITE SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

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.

MEATBALLS WITH JAMAICAN-STYLE CURRY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 tablespoon garlic, the egg, 1 tablespoon Curry Powder, the sesame oil and 1 teaspoon salt. In a separate large bowl, combine the beef, pork, jalapeno and scallions, then stir in the ginger-garlic mixture until well combined.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Check the meatball mixture for seasoning by taking a small amount and cooking a tester patty. Taste and adjust the remaining meatball mixture with more salt if necessary.
• Drizzle 2 tablespoons vegetable oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Form the beef mixture into 18 meatballs, about 2 tablespoons each. Arrange onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake the meatballs, shaking the pan halfway through, until crispy on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the thyme, the remaining 1 tablespoon garlic, remaining 1 tablespoon ginger and 2 teaspoons Curry Powder. Cook until aromatic, 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer over medium-low and cook until the sauce starts to thicken slightly, 10 minutes. Add the meatballs and cook until heated through. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
• Mix all of the spices together in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Makes about 1/4 cup.