Abruzzo Spaghetti and Meatballs
To anyone who believes that spaghetti and meatballs are not a classic Italian dish, I would like you to show them this recipe and say this: how do like them apples?
This dish for spaghetti and meatballs, known as spaghetti alla chitarra con pallottine, does, in fact, come from a grandmother who lives in the wine region of Abruzzo and packs as much flavor as the American variation with a unique tomato sauce that has hunks of meat and vegetables simmered into it, so now you can say that spaghetti and meatballs are made in Italy.
I’ll be making this dish with fresh pasta, as per usual, but I will make this dish accessible by using dried pasta.
Serves 4-6
Time: 3 1/2 hours
For the Sauce:
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 celery stick, cut in half
2 carrots, cut in half
3 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
3 1/2 ounces of braising beef such as short ribs
3 pork ribs
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1 teaspoon of salt
3 pounds of good quality canned tomatoes
For the Meatballs:
1 pound of ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil, plus more for frying
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1 tablespoon of grated Pecorino, plus more to serve
1 pound of spaghetti, fresh or dried
Make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot, then add the celery, carrot, and garlic. Sautee the veggies for about 5 minutes before adding the meat and cook that for about 3 minutes, or until golden.
Add the wine, then let that cook for about 2 minutes or until you can no longer smell alcohol. Remove the garlic, then add the salt and tomatoes. Bring that to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let that cook for about 3 hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender. You may need to add more water, but you are looking for a very thick sauce.
Meanwhile, combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs and mix until well combined. Wet your hands and form the mixture into very small chickpea-sized balls. Doing this will take a while, so getting the family to help is good.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Heat a layer of olive oil in a skillet and fry the meatballs over medium heat until they’re browned on all sides, you’ll likely need to do this in batches. Remove any finished meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels.
Once the meat in the sauce is tender, remove the meat from the ribs and shred all of the meat. Discard the bones and the whole veggies, then stir the meat and meatballs into the sauce. Add more water if needed and let that simmer for another 5 minutes to ensure the meatballs are fully cooked.
Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions for al dente. Drain, then toss the pasta with the sauce and dump that onto a plate, topping with more grated Pecorino if you please.
I think you would be pleasantly amazed at the depth of flavor you get from this dish. The little meatballs have a ton of flavor and hold their shape nicely, and the sauce has a nice rich tomato flavor backed up by the pork ribs and the stewing beef. It’s a lovely weekend dish and I think your family would love it.
