Spaghetti Anne Marie Recipes

ZAPPA FAMILY SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Steps:

• Sprinkle salt and pepper all over pork and beef. Place large pot over medium-high heat; when hot, add olive oil and brown meat. (Or cook meat in same pot used for meatballs, browning in the leftover fat.) Remove meat to a platter. Turning heat under pot to medium, add onions, and cook 3 minutes, stirring. Add garlic, and cook 2 minutes longer. Add tomato paste, and stir: cook until it absorbs fat in pan. Add oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and bay leaf, stirring to combine.
• Add cans of tomatoes and tomato sauce, then 4 1/2 cups water. Stir in sugar, parsley and peperoncini. Return meats to pot with their juices. Bring sauce to a gentle boil. Turn heat down to a simmer, partly cover and leave sauce to simmer 21/2 hours or more, stirring regularly.
• About 20 minutes before serving, add meatballs to pot. Boil spaghetti according to package directions. Drain, return spaghetti to pan and add 3 cups sauce. Toss pasta in pan for a minute to coat with sauce, and place on a large platter. Pour 2 more cups sauce over pasta. Place meat and meatballs on pasta, slicing large pieces. Serve with bowls of remaining sauce and Parmesan.

PASTA BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• In a food processor, puree onion, carrots, celery, and garlic into a coarse paste. In a large pan over medium heat, coat pan with oil. Add the pureed veggies and season generously with salt. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat and cook until all the water has evaporated and they become nice and brown, stirring frequently, about 15 to 20 minutes. Be patient, this is where the big flavors develop.
• Add the ground beef and season again generously with salt. BROWN THE BEEF! Brown food tastes good. Don't rush this step. Cook another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and cook until brown about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the red wine. Cook until the wine has reduced by half, another 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add water to the pan until the water is about 1 inch above the meat. Toss in the bay leaves and the bundle of thyme and stir to combine everything. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally. As the water evaporates you will gradually need to add more, about 2 to 3 cups at a time. Don't be shy about adding water during the cooking process, you can always cook it out. This is a game of reduce and add more water. This is where big rich flavors develop. If you try to add all the water in the beginning you will have boiled meat sauce rather than a rich, thick meaty sauce. Stir and TASTE frequently. Season with salt, if needed (you probably will). Simmer for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
• During the last 30 minutes of cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat to cook the spaghetti. Pasta water should ALWAYS be well salted. Salty as the ocean! TASTE IT! If your pasta water is under seasoned it doesn't matter how good your sauce is, your complete dish will always taste under seasoned. When the water is at a rolling boil add the spaghetti and cook for 1 minute less than it calls for on the package. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
• While the pasta is cooking remove 1/2 of the ragu from the pot and reserve.
• Drain the pasta and add to the pot with the remaining ragu. Stir or toss the pasta to coat with the sauce. Add some of the reserved sauce, if needed, to make it about an even ratio between pasta and sauce. Add the reserved pasta cooking water and cook the pasta and sauce together over a medium heat until the water has reduced. Turn off the heat and give a big sprinkle of Parmigiano and a generous drizzle of the high quality finishing olive oil. Toss or stir vigorously. Divide the pasta and sauce into serving bowls or 1 big pasta bowl. Top with remaining grated Parmigiano. Serve immediately.

NONNA MARIA'S SPAGHETTI ALLA PUTTANESCA

Steps:

• While the spaghetti cooks in salted boiling water, prepare the sauce. Heat up some olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and chili pepper, to taste. When the garlic is golden, add the anchovies, olives, capers, and walnuts.
• Let the mixture cook for about 1 minute before pouring the crushed plum tomatoes into the pan. Cook for approximately 10 minutes on medium heat.
• About a minute before the al dente stage, drain the spaghetti and add it to the saucepan, allowing it to finish cooking in the sauce. Sprinkle the spaghetti with freshly chopped parsley and transfer to a warm plate. Serve immediately.

SAVORY SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook ground beef and onion until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain. Add the next eight ingredients; bring to a boil. , Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaf. Serve with spaghetti. Garnish with oregano if desired.

CRUNCHY BURGER QUESADILLAS

Steps:

• Gently shape beef into 4 balls, shaping just enough to keep together (do not compact). In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Working in batches, add beef. With a heavy metal spatula, flatten to 1/4- to 1/2-in. thickness. Cook until edges start to brown, about 1-1/2 minutes. Turn burgers; cook until well browned and a thermometer reads at least 160°, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining beef. Remove from skillet; wipe skillet clean., Combine mayonnaise and salsa; reserve half for serving. Spread remaining mixture over tortillas. On the center of each tortilla, place 1 slice cheese, 1 burger and 1 tostada shell. Fold sides of tortilla over burger; fold top and bottom to close, pleating as you go., In batches, place wraps in skillet, seam side down. Cook on medium heat 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve with remaining sauce.

SPAGHETTI ANNE-MARIE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to directions.
• Fry the Pancetta slowly with a little additional fat until slightly crispy. Add generously coarsely black pepper.
• Mix spaghetti and Pancetta. Serve with Parmesan, the raw yolk of the egg and extra black pepper.