Meatballs and Spaghetti

Meatballs

flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese; grated 
1 tbsp kosher salt

1 lb ground veal

1 lb ground pork
2 lb ground beef
1 1/2 cups warm water

2 eggs; beaten
peanut oil

Yields about 40 meatballs

Sauce
flat leaf parsley; chopped
fresh basil; chopped

2 large cans of Italian peeled tomatoes

1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot; chopped 
3 cloves garlic; minced

2 anchovy filets  
single serving bottle red wine

salt
pepper

spaghetti, cooked al dente

For meatballs:

Combine parsley, breadcrumbs, Parm salt in a food processor and set aside.

 

Break apart meat with your hands into a large mixing bowl. Add water; wait 30 seconds; add eggs and breadcrumb mixture, 

Using forks, gently combine. Be careful; over-handling the meat results in dense meatballs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Hand form 33-36 2" balls. 

Pour enough peanut oil to cover the bottom of a dutch oven. Brown 11-12 balls on all sides on medium heat in batches 3-5. About 10 minutes per patch. Don't over crowd. Set aside and let balls drain. Freeze the rest. 

For sauce:

Combine parsley, basil and tomatoes in a food processor until sauce is desired consistency. 

 
In the now well-seasoned dutch oven (if needed add fresh oil), sauté shallot until soft and translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and anchovies, mashing the filets and sauté for another minute. Add wine; increase heat; reduce and scrape up bits until most wine has evaporated. Reduce heat to lowest setting; add tomatoes, parsley and basil; add balls back; salt and pepper to taste. 

Cook covered for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Your call.

Toss sauce with pasta and add a meatball or two. Serves 4. 

Persian Rice with Tadiq

2 cups long grain white rice
1/2 cup melted butter
4 cups lightly salted water
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Place rice in a large bowl and fill with lukewarm water. Stir rice and pour off cloudy water; repeat four times. Cover rice with clean, cold water and allow to soak for 15 minutes.

Start the 4 cups water and salt boiling in large stock pot or dutch oven. Add rice to boiling water, boil about 10 minutes or until rice is about half cooked. Drain rice in colander, reserve.

In stock pot or dutch oven, pour about 1/4 cup melted butter on bottom, tilt to cover 2 inches up sides.

Pour the half-cooked rice into the pot, try to make a nice mound in the middle, and avoid the sides as much as possible. This allows the rice to expand in the dish.

With the end of a wooden spoon, make holes in the mound of rice (5 or 6 places) evenly around.

Pour the remaining melted butter onto the rice, and drizzle 1/4 Cup of the extra water into the holes you made.

Wrap a kitchen towel around underside of pan lid, making sure it is secured on top and away from heat. Steam rice about 40-45 minutes over a very low heat or until the bottom is "golden" crusty.

Remove pan from heat and place bottom inch in cold water for 5 minutes to loosen crust. Uncover pan, place a flat plate on top and invert pan. Ideally, golden crust should come out in one piece. If it does not, use a spatula to lift crust from bottom of pan; place on rice.

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