Spaghetti and Meatballs

Step 1

Heat a large sauce pot to medium-low and add the olive oil, garlic, and anchovies. Saute until lightly golden (about 2-3 minutes) while mashing the anchovies with a wooden spoon so that they dissolve into the oil. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds.

Step 2

Next, add the white wine and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook for 2 minutes while scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon then add the crushed tomatoes and passata and bring to a boil.

Step 3

Once the sauce starts bubbling aggressively, turn down the heat and keep the sauce at a low simmer, stirring often, while moving on to preparing the meatballs. Make sure to taste test the sauce and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Step 4

In a very large bowl, mix the bread cubes with the ricotta and mash it together with a fork to form a paste. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes or until well saturated.

Step 5

Next, add the beef and ground pork to the bowl. Sprinkle the salt and pepper all over the meat then add the garlic paste, parsley, Pecorino, and eggs and mix to incorporate. Try to evenly distribute the ingredients but do not aggressively overmix, so as to avoid making the meatballs too tough.

Step 6

With wet hands gently roll approximately 2-inch size meatballs. Place the formed meatballs on a foil-lined baking sheet. Set the oven rack to the second highest level and turn on the broiler. Broil the meatballs for 5 minutes per side or until well browned.

Step 7

Place the browned meatballs into the sauce pot to simmer and finish cooking.

Step 8

While the meatballs are simmering, bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons Morton's kosher salt per gallon) to boil. Once boiling, cook the spaghetti until 1 minute less than al dente.

Step 9

Place 3 cups of the sauce into a large pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the spaghetti and toss or mix to coat well. Cook the spaghetti until just al dente (about 30-90 more seconds). If the sauce is too dry, just add a splash of pasta water then toss again.

Step 10

Turn off the heat and taste test making final adjustments to salt and pepper. Add the hand-torn basil and serve with the meatballs and sauce on the side. Make sure to serve with a loaf of crusty Italian bread and grated Pecorino. Enjoy!