Spaghetti With Meatballs
December 6th, 2007
This dish, perhaps more than any other, has defined Italian-American cuisine. In fact, the concept of Spaghetti with Meatballs inspired the first edition of Almost Italian.
Italians eat spaghetti. Italians eat meatballs. But they don’t eat spaghetti with meatballs. Writing in 1897, Pellegrino Artusi, author of La Scienza in Cucina e L’Arte di Mangiar Bene, The Science of Cooking and the Art of Eating Well, includes three recipes for meatballs, none of which involve pasta. But the Italian immigrants who first opened restaurants in the Little Italy communities were not cooking so much for their fellow paesani as for a non-Italian clientele.
Ingredients that had been scarce or costly back in Italy were at hand in America, where the new entrepreneurs found that they were able to prepare and offer their version of “Sunday dinner” every night of the week. For the immigrants, the most lavish meal would have been meatballs, sausages, and perhaps pork shoulder, braised in tomato sauce. This would have preceded a course of pasta lightly dressed with some of the braising sauce—the red sauce that evolved to become “Mom’s Sunday Gravy.”
Customers lacking intimate knowledge of Italians’ foodways seem not to have understood that something farinaceous could be savored as a course on its own. Among northern Europeans, there is no equivalent to a separate course of rice or pasta, as served in Italy. And so, among the American immigrant populations, the difference persisted. Those of non-Italian descent, having become accustomed to having meat and starch together on the same plate, liked to place two or three meatballs on their pasta. It wasn’t too long before the Italian restaurants abandoned the practice of serving the meat separately and began to serve individual plates of pasta with meatballs in tomato sauce.
During the past few years—in Rome, for example—spaghetti with meatballs has infiltrated the menu turistica, ‘tourist menu,’ at many of the neighborhood trattorie. This gives a new twist to the adage, “When in Rome…”
But here, I’m really more concerned about “when in New Haven or Hoboken.” So, I’m happy to share my Sicilian grandmother’s recipe for meatballs, along with her recipe for the marinara sauce in which to braise them.
My Grandmother’s Meatballs
Ingredients:
1/2 Lb. Ground beef
1/2 Lb. Ground pork
2 Large eggs
1/2 Cup bread crumbs (see Note)
2 Cloves garlic, peeled, and finely chopped
4 Tbs. Flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
1/2 Cup freshly grated Parmigiano
Salt & freshly-ground black pepper
Olive oil
1 Recipe for Marinara Sauce—recipe follows
1 Lb. Spaghetti
4 Tbs. Flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
Additional freshly grated Parmigiano
Preparation:
Using your hands, mix together, the beef, pork, and egg, then mix in the bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, and Parmigiano. Season with salt & pepper. Form the ground beef and pork mixture into balls slightly larger than the size of golf balls. I usually wind up with fifteen to twenty, depending on how large I make the first few.
Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat, then add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Add the meatballs and brown all over, regulating the heat if necessary to avoid excessive spattering. The meatballs are done when they’re brown all over, and have a slight crust. (see Note below)
Simmer gently for about an hour and a half in four cups (one quart) of my grandmother’s tomato sauce. Recipe follows.
Approximately 15 minutes before serving, bring a large pot of water (at least six quarts) to a full, rolling boil and add the pasta. Cook until just al dente. Drain in a colander, and pour the pasta out onto a serving platter.
Spoon the meatballs over the pasta, then pour the sauce over all. Garnish with the parsley, and serve family-style at the table. Pass the additional Parmigiano separately.
Serves four.
Here is my grandmother’s basic tomato sauce. This is the one she always seemed to have on hand, to go over pasta, or “just to color” some sautéed zucchini, or to mix in with some beans.
During the growing season, she and my grandfather would put up gallons of the stuff, but when the larder ran out, she wasn’t at all averse to using canned tomatoes. However, when she used canned tomatoes, she claimed that adding a grated carrot sweetened the sauce and took away the “canned” taste.
Ingredients:
Olive Oil
4 Cloves garlic, peeled, and thinly sliced
2 28 Oz. Cans peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
1 Small carrot, grated
1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes
2 Tbs. fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 Tbs. fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 Cup flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, then add enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Add the garlic. With a wooden spoon, stir for about one minute, until the garlic begins to give up its aroma.
Remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the tomatoes. Return the pan to the heat and begin to break up the tomatoes with either the back of a fork, or a wooden spoon. Simmer the tomatoes to evaporate some of the liquid, then add the carrot, the red pepper flakes, oregano and basil.
Simmer gently for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the clear liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated. Add the parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Tag: Almost Italian, Italian immigrants, Italian restaurants, Mom's Sunday Gravy, Spaghetti with Meatballs
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December 6th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
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December 6th, 2007 at 9:54 pm
I really enjoyed reading the early history behind the spaghetti and meatballs. At home, the way we do it is similar to the “lavish” meal you describe. The meat (sausage, pork, and meatballs) are braised in the marinara, and served separately from the pasta. The meat and the starch do ultimately end up together on individual plates, but it’s not served that way.
The meatballs: Mom makes them pretty much the same way you describe, and Mom does make her own bread crumbs. My dad taught me a variation on the meatball… before rolling the meat into balls, add a small cube of fresh mozzarella to the meat, and then roll it so that the mozzarella ends up in the middle of the meatball. Pretty tasty, although I do have to say, my mother’s meatballs are the best
December 6th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
I have to agree with Francesca, the meat is served separately, but always ends up on the same plate! My meatballs are made almost the same except I use Romano cheese in them, and grate fresh parm on the pasta. I enjoy reading about the history, I’ll be back!
December 12th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
So glad I stumbled onto your site! It’s fascinating to read how other Italian-American families adapted recipes along the way.
December 19th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Francesca,your gram’s meatballs were great I remember as a kid going over there and going up stairs you can smell them all the way down by Uncle Louie they were really good say hello to your dad and mom
your cousin
Anthony
December 20th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Hi Anthony! So nice to hear from you, and thank you for bringing back some happy memories for me. I miss that building and that living arrangement on Lexington Street…. buon natale to you and your family.
January 12th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
[...] I have received comments on my Flickr pictures and Almost Italian from distant family members. This leads me to believe that there are more of you Folinazzos out [...]
January 26th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Hi there, I really love the ‘book” you are writing. Minor copyedit in the Marinara Sauce recipe, the basil is mentioned but never used. I mean I can sure guess what you do with it, but it’s MIA. hey, I said it’s minor!
January 26th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Mille grazie.
Even with two of us proof-reading, things manage to slip through the proverbial cracks. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
But I might add, the basil may have been missing, but it was certainly in action.
Best regards,
Skip Lombardi
May 31st, 2008 at 11:29 am
[...] (preferably San Marzano) 1 Lb. Hot or sweet Italian sausages (or a combination) 1 Recipe for Italian Meatballs Salt & freshly ground black pepper 4 Tbs. Fresh oregano, finely chopped 4 Tbs. Fresh basil, [...]
December 12th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
[...] pieces) 3/4 cup clam broth or any liquid left from tinned or thawed scungilli (optional) 2 Cups of My Grandmother’s Marinara Sauce 1/4 Cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped 2 Tbs. Snipped fresh basil Additional sprigs [...]
February 25th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
[...] the timer goes off, your pasta is done—or done enough. Drain* it and add to whatever warmed sauce you have waiting. Combine pasta and sauce over low heat for up to two minutes. Sit down to a [...]
December 20th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Francesca happy holidays to all i saw your site making the calizones they are good out here in lindenhurst not many Italian stores to find them can you send the recipie….I heard you met my Nickie she a good kid but i try to tell where not to go in the city….but she dont listen maybe if it came from you or Frank she would listen..
say hello to
Mom & Dad
your cousin Anthony
December 23rd, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Love the photo…. You need a bigger pot!
December 23rd, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Thank you again, Anthony,
The fellow in the photograph is a retired Chicago police officer who is just one of the many friends we’ve made all over the country through Almost Italian. And I can see through your discussion board that you too have reached a large number of like-minded folks. You too are doing a great thing in passing on the old recipes and traditions.
All the best,
Skip Lombardi
March 4th, 2010 at 7:36 pm
Hi there from Spain!
Great blog you have!
About spaghetti with meatballs, I have to say I got a friend from Mazzara del Vallo, Sicillia whose favourite family´s recipe is spaghetti con polpette (italian word for meatballs)
He assures me that at least in that part of Sicillia, spaghetti con polpette is a pretty common dish.
It´s not the same recipe as you wrote above (includes aubergines, etc) but shares a lot with your recipe
You got followers in Spain, thank you for this blog
March 7th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Many thanks for your comment. It’s nice to know we have an audience in Spain.
It’s interesting to hear about Sicilians eating pasta and meatballs together; particularly with eggplant as well. I’ve certainly never seen a recipe for it. But it sounds terrific.
On my last couple of trips to Italy–particularly to Rome and Florence–I’ve noticed Pasta con Polpette on the Menu Touristico at various trattorie–primarily aimed at German tourists.
But getting back to your Sicilian friend, there has been so much back and forth travel with southerners immigrating to America, then returning to their homeland, that the idea of pasta with meatballs came from America to Italy.
Best regards,
Skip Lombardi
March 8th, 2010 at 12:09 am
Hi again.
Since my friend´s family is located in a village which has, as the rest of Sicily, a strong migration past (and sadly, present and even future) , there are so many chances that spaghetti con polpette went from l´America. Once arrived, eggplants may were added in order to put some local flavour into it again.
You said it sounds terrific..tastes even better! I will ask him for his recipe and I´ll post it here
Regards from Spain, a brother country of Italy.
P.S: and sorry for my bad english!
July 21st, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Since you asked, my mother (a Swede) learned to make spaghetti and meat balls from a neighbor, Tony Barone, who passed on his Aunt Marion’s recipe. It’s very similar to yours, except that Aunt Marion adds finely chopped onion to both the meatballs and the sauce, along with the garlic. She also recommended, “if you’ve got a piece of pork, add that to the sauce.” After browning the meatballs in a frying pan and adding these to the sauce, Aunt Marion instructs us to cook the onion in the fat left in the pan, scraping in the browned bits left from frying the meatballs. To this you add some garlic, and, as the onion becomes brown, you turn up the heat and stir in a teaspoon of sugar. This mixture is then added to the sauce along with the meatballs. I don’t recall anyone in Jamestown (NY) ever using the term “gravy”, but I have heard it in NJ.
July 21st, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Oh–I almost forgot. My dad once made some undrinkable Elderberry wine that my mom decided was very complementary to Aunt Marion’s marinara sauce. Dad had to continue making the wine just so mom could cook with it! Dad and his vino are no longer with us, but I usually put some red wine in the marinara when I make it. Are you aware of any Italian cooks who do this?