Spaghetti & Meatballs

This is such a great comfort food. And its a winner with kids too. I had made a killer pot of Marinara Sauce and had some minced meat. What better way to use the two that to make Spaghetti with Meatballs.

I've already shared the recipe for my Marinara sauce and the Meatballs, so there really isn't much for me to do here except bring them all together. This recipe works for approx. 300gms of Spaghetti.

Cook the pasta al dente and drain. I have a bottle of beautiful truffle oil which I recently bought from my European adventures. I've used some of that truffle oil and drizzled over my Spaghetti. You can use some garlic oil instead. Plate up the pasta using this neat twirl trick. Add a dollop of the Marinara sauce and a few meatballs. Enjoy!

  

Meatballs

These meatballs with my marinara sauce...are a match made in Spaghetti heaven. Details below:

Ingredients:

1 cup minced meat. I used beef but pork would do just fine.
1 Onion diced
3 cloves of Garlic preferably grated
1 cup Breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except the breadcrumbs. Now slowly add the breadcrumbs, little by little, mixing till all the ingredients come together to form a ball. Now roll the meat mixture to bite size balls and fry till golden brown.

Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon

I never really understood what the fuss is about Beef Bourguignon....until I tried it myself!! On a recent girlfriend getaway to Paris, a local and a friend recommended that me and the girls try out the Beef Bourguignon at this quaint Parisienne place called Le Petit Saint Benoit. And since then, I just cannot get the flavour out of my head.

So one day after watching Julie & Julia, I finally mustered up the courage to try this rich beef stew. And who better to guide me that Julia Child. Now unfortunately, she doesn't have her own official site or a collection of recipes online. So I've used this BLOG and followed it to a T. She herself claims to have copied it from the original Julia Child recipe, and it does make a mean stew. So today I'm not going to type out the recipe, just going to rant out how good it is.

Beef Bourguignon is a labour of love. It will take you all day (and a whole bottle of wine!) to make this one dish wonder, but when you try it for the first time, you won't believe your mouth. So please have patience, it is definitely worth toiling for. It is also a dish that tastes better when shared, so make sure you have a dinner party to celebrate. Traditionally served with fresh, warm crusty Baguette (Oh how I wish I was back in Paris), but I've used mashed potatoes instead.

Served best with a glass of the best red wine and the movie Julie & Julia. Bon Appetite!!!

Marinara Sauce (cheat's version)

I once read that Marinara sauce is the culinary version of the little black dress - and I completely agree! It can be dressed up or down with such ease. And my marinara sauce is so simple and quick, you'll never want to buy that jarred stuff again.

Ingredients:

Makes a potful, enough to lusciously coat 300gms of Spaghetti

3 Fresh Ripe Tomatoes
2 cups of Tomato Purée
6 cloves of Garlic
2 Bay Leaves
2 teaspoons of basil or mixed herbs (Note: there is ABSOLUTELY no replacing fresh basil, but since this is a cheats version, I'm allowing myself to use dried herbs)
2 tablespoons of Olive oil
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Finely chop the garlic. I've used 6 cloves as I like a nice garlic hit, but you can use 2 cloves for a really mild flavour. You can use a dozen tomatoes and purée them or you can use a combination fresh tomatoes and ready made tomato purée like I did. I chopped the fresh tomatoes, skins and all, and bashed them in a mortar and pestle. Warning: tomatoes will squirt so please wear an apron.

In a heavy bottomed pan, add some olive oil and garlic (If you are making pasta, now is the time to put your salted water on the pan). Once the garlic is soft, add in the tomatoes along with the purée. Add the bay leaf and basil and let them poach till the sauce thickens and boils gently. If your sauce is too thick, add in some pasta water. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaves and voila! Your sauce is now ready!

Serving:
I can write a book on uses of marinara sauce! Marinara sauce is the foundation of many a good Italian meals. You can use it for pizzas, risottos, calzones and pastas. Add in anchovies, capers and olives for a quick Puttanesca. To add some depth and flavour, add a rash of bacon while the sauce is boiling. But today I'm going to use it to make traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Tip: If the sauce is too tangy or tart, add in a pinch of sugar to balance it out. I also like to add some wine or balsamic vinegar to give the sauce a little zing.

Note: The chunks in the sauce are mushrooms