Summertime Spaghetti With Grilled Meatballs Recipes

GRILLED SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Preheat a grill on medium-high heat.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook pasta about half way according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and toss lightly with olive oil. Using a grill grate, grill the pasta over medium-high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Transfer the grilled pasta to a serving platter and spoon BBQ Gravy over the top. Place meatballs over the top and around the perimeter of the platter and top with more Gravy. Sprinkle with the sliced scallions and grated Parmesan.
• Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat for 1 minute. When the oil is hot, add the bacon and render. When golden brown and beginning to crisp, add minced carrot, celery, onion, and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and saute vegetables to a light brown. Add rosemary and brown sugar and stir. Add Chianti and vinegar to pot, stir and bring to boil. Add the tomato paste, chipotles in adobo, and the chopped tomatoes. Stir and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, skimming the top occasionally to remove any scum that forms.
• While the BBQ gravy is simmering, make the meatballs.
• In a large bowl, mix together the meat, egg, Worcestershire, cheese, parsley, oregano, basil, onion, bread crumbs, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup of water. Knead the water into the meat mixture with your hands. Knead and roll meatballs into about 1 1/2-inch balls. Place them in shallow saucepan on stove, add another 1/2 cup of water over them, and cover. Turn heat to medium, and steam for 35 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the meatballs from the pan. Drain the juice out of the bottom of the pan, return the meatballs to it and cover them with warm BBQ gravy. Serve on top of Grilled Spaghetti.

SUMMER MEATBALLS & SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Heat ½ tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and soften for 5 mins, then add the garlic and fennel and cook for 2 mins longer. Tip into a bowl. Add the pork mince, parsley stalks and grated courgette to the bowl, season well, mix, and shape into 10 meatballs. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan, add the meatballs and fry for 5-8 mins, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through. Set the pan aside.
• Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti for 1 min less than pack instructions. Using tongs, transfer the pasta to the pan of meatballs, sloshing in some of the cooking water as you go. Add the courgette ribbons to the pan and put it back over the heat. Toss the pasta and meatballs with the courgette ribbons in the pan with a ladleful of pasta water and add the lemon juice. Season well, tip into bowls and scatter over the chopped parsley leaves, lemon zest and a generous grating of parmesan.

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Make the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs and cream. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then mash the mixture with a fork. Mix in the oregano, pepper flakes, black pepper, salt and bacon. Gently work in the pork, veal and beef. Be careful not to knead it into oblivion, or the meatballs will be tough little pebbles. Fry a little of the mixture in some butter and oil in a skillet and taste, adjusting seasonings. Roll into small meatballs, about an inch across. (If you have a kitchen scale, measure an ounce apiece.)
• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large sauté pan, warm the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs, turning every couple of minutes. (Work in batches if they won't all fit in the pan.) Transfer them to a roasting pan big enough to hold them all. Pour 2 cups of cold water into the pan and transfer it to the oven to bake for 20 to 30 minutes or so, until the meatballs are cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Boil the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water, and heat the marinara sauce in a pot. When the spaghetti is tender, toss it with the sauce. Season to taste. Put the cheese in a bowl and set it on the table. Make sure to ask your family if they want their meatballs on top of the spaghetti or on the side.

GRILLED PASTA WITH GRILLED MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the meat, eggs, cheese, parsley, oregano, basil, onion, bread crumbs, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of the water. Knead the water into the meat mixture with your hands. Knead and form meatballs into about 1 1/2-inch balls with a 2-ounce scoop (see Chef's Note) or roll into balls with your hands.
• VAC-PACKED COOKING METHOD: Seal the meatballs with just a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil and cook them in 130°F water for 35 minutes.
• OLD-WORLD COOKING METHOD: Place the meatballs in a large saucepan or skillet on the stove (use 2 pans if they don't all fit in a single pan), add 1/2 cup of the water over them (1/2 cup water to each pan if using 2 pans), and cover. Steam the meatballs over medium heat for about 25 minutes. Transfer to a platter and refrigerate until you're ready to grill them.
• Turn a gas grill to high or ignite charcoal. When the grill is hot, for both gas and charcoal grills, clean your grill rack. Decrease the temperature to medium-high (on a gas grill only), and brush or wipe a little olive oil on the grill rack.
• In batches, grill the meatballs in a cast-iron pan or plancha on the grill until they're well-browned all the way around, 4 minutes total for the vac-packed meatballs and about 6 minutes total for the pan-cooked meatballs. Remove from the heat and reserve.
• Fill a large pot with about 5 quarts of water, add the kosher salt, and bring to a boil over high heat on your stove. Add the pasta and cook until just al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
• Spread the pasta on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, so it won't stick together.
• Lightly oil a long, flat grill basket or spritz with nonstick cooking spray. With tongs, add half the pasta to the basket, arranging it in a thin even layer. (If you have two grill baskets, cook both batches of pasta at once.) Place the basket on a rack over hot coals and turn frequently, until the pasta turns a golden color. You'll hear it crackling during grilling.
• Empty the grill basket into a large heat-proof bowl. Toss the pasta with 1 to 2 cups of Grilled Tomato Sauce. If it needs some moisture, add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and toss again. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of the pecorino cheese. Toss. Transfer to a serving bowl, top with the remaining pecorino cheese, and serve immediately.