KITCHEN QUICKIES

RECIPES FOR GOOD FOOD FAST

Spaghetti Slam, bam, thank you, ma’am. TFG Publisher and master
of the quick-cook Amy Sestito serves up five tasty ways
to dish out dinner on the fly.

Spaghetti and Meatballs 101

Classic Meatballs (for those who don’t count calories)

Makes 12 large or 18 small meatballs

1 lb 80% lean ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
*1 cup of bread crumbs
**3/4 cup of grated cheese
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley, optional
1/2 cup water (this is the secret to soft meatballs!)

How to:

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground meat, bread crumbs, grated cheese, eggs, salt, pepper and parsley. Knead it really well. (Had a long day? Make meatballs! Kneading them is a great way to diffuse stress.) Gradually add the water until the meatballs are nice and mushy but can still be formed into a nice, round ball.

In a nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil over a medium flame (don’t get too carried away with the heat here please, ladies—successful cooks control themselves with heat). Peel and cut an onion in half and place in the hot oil. Fry the meatballs in batches (don’t overcrowd the pan) until they are brown on all sides. Add entire contents of pan to spaghetti sauce (recipe below).

Lower-Fat Turkey Meatballs (for those who do count calories)

Makes 12 large or 18 small meatballs

1 1/2 lbs 93% lean ground turkey meat
*1 cup bread crumbs
**3/4 cup grated cheese
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley, optional
3/4 cup of water (Why is more water used here than in the classic recipe? Because these meatballs are baked, not fried, so you don’t have to worry about them falling apart in the frying pan. Trust me, these melt in your mouth.)

How to:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey meat, bread crumbs, grated cheese, eggs, salt, pepper and parsley and knead until well combined. Gradually add water until the meatballs are nice and mushy but can still be formed into a ball.

Make balls out of the meatball mixture and place in an ungreased baking pan into a 350-degree preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Add to spaghetti sauce (recipe follows).

Eggplant ’balls (for those who love vegetables)

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon water
*3/4 cup bread crumbs
**1/2 cup grated cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped parsley, optional

How to:

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the garlic just until fragrant, about 30 seconds (if you burn garlic, start over; brown garlic tastes awful and will ruin your dish). Add eggplant, water and cover. Cook on low and steam until the eggplant is very soft.

In a mixing bowl, combine eggplant, bread crumbs, eggs, cheese and parsley if desired. Mix until well combined and let rest for 30 minutes. Shape into balls and bake on a greased baking pan for 30 minutes in a 325-degree preheated oven.

Spaghetti Sauce (for everyone)

4 28-oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 carrot, peeled
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon oregano
8 fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

How to:

Puree the whole peeled tomatoes in a blender (this makes the sauce nice and smooth). Add to a large stainless steel pot. Add the carrot (don’t bother chopping it as you’ll discard it later), tomato paste, sugar, oregano basil leaves, salt and pepper. Over medium heat, bring to a boil.

For classic meatballs:

When the sauce is boiling, add the contents of the pan in which the meatballs were cooked (this includes the oil and the onion) as well as the meatballs. Simmer for an hour and serve.

For turkey meatballs and eggplant ’balls:

While waiting for the sauce to boil, in a nonstick frying pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil (remember what I said about heat) and add a peeled, halved onion and cook until the onion is slightly brown. Add contents to the sauce. If you’re making turkey meatballs, simmer in the sauce for an hour. If you’re making eggplant ’balls, simmer the sauce for an hour without the meatballs and then add them and simmer just until heated through.

Tips for Success

*Bread crumbs: Progresso’s Italian-style bread crumbs are hands-down the best commercial-brand bread crumbs and what I use if I’m pressed for time. However, I usually make my own, which really gives my meatballs the wow factor.

Homemade Bread Crumbs (for those who have stale bread and extra time)

Take 5 to 6 slices of a day-old loaf of Italian bread (enough to make 1 cup of bread crumbs) and either grate with a hand grater or put through the grating disk of a food processor. Add 1/4 cup **grated cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of finely minced garlic. You can also add 3 tablespoons of minced, fresh Italian parsley, if desired. If you use parsley in the bread crumbs, you can omit it in the meatball recipe. Too much of a good thing is never a good idea.

**Grated cheese: This makes all the difference, folks. The best grated cheese is equal parts freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Locatelli romano cheese. You can store this in a plastic bag in the freezer, which prevents it from getting moldy. These cheeses are readily available at Italian specialty markets.

Spaghetti: When you cook spaghetti, make sure the water is at a rolling boil and that you’ve added at least a teaspoon of salt. Cook according to package directions, drain and add to a large, family-style serving bowl. Toss with a tablespoon of unsalted butter (leave it out when you start to cook the pasta so it softens a bit) and then dress the pasta with enough sauce to coat it. The butter gives the pasta just a tad of sweetness and really enhances the texture. One of the biggest mistakes people make is over-saucing their pasta.

Kitchen Quickie Must

One of the best investments you can make if you cook a lot of pasta (and who doesn’t?) is this fabulous All-Clad multipurpose stock pot. Not only does it retain the heat well, but you can cook your pasta within its coordinating colander, which spares you from having to schlep your hot, heavy, cooked-pasta-filled pot over to the sink. Just pull the colander out slowly, let it drain, and add it to your nearby bowl.