They're back!

The Sopranos, that is, and as I do every year on premier night, this year I made spaghetti and meatballs.

Hmmm. Maybe not every year. Maybe only one year. But I do always make a pasta dish in honor of my favorite goombahs.

See, if I made meatballs every year, then I would have mastered the technique long before now. This year for the first time my meatballs did not dissolve into meat sauce when I browned them in the pan. This year I planned very carefully. I plotted and studied and modified my technique. In the end, I produced meatballs so perfect that they warranted a meatball victory dance.

Now I know I am not the only meatballer out there who wasn't born with The Gift. In fact, just the other day Mr. Food Musings' sister was asking me for my secret. There are many, dear readers.

1. Keep the meatballs refrigerated until the very moment you cook them. Normally I like to let meat warm up a bit so it doesn't hit the pan stone-cold, but this helps them retain their shape. If you make them fresh, refrigerate for at least an hour before cooking.
2. Dredge them in flour before browning.
3. Eschew the tongs! These will be your downfall. Instead, turn the precious meatballs carefully with your fingers. They get a bit hot so be careful and move fast.
4. Do not remove them from the browning pan. Pour off the oil (or leave it in if you want a really rich sauce) and then add the crushed tomatoes or pre-made tomato sauce to the browning pan and finish them off that way. If you're cooking a full batch, this probably isn't possible unless you own the world's biggest pan, so when removing them do so very gently.

Sopranos' style Spaghetti and Meatballs
Serves 6 (makes approx. 42 meatballs)

Meatballs freeze really well, and they keep longer when they're frozen raw. Since I was cooking for two, I made the meatballs fresh, refrigerated enough for dinner and froze the rest. Perfecto! For the sauce, you can really use anything -- a pre-made sauce of your own, a can of crushed tomatoes, even a store-bought sauce (gasp! - but it's true, I know because that's what I used.). Since you add minced garlic and oregano and then thicken the sauce, you can actually gussy up those thin store-bought sauces so that no one call tell the difference. I swear it on my mothah's honor.

2 cloves garlic; 1 whole, 1 minced
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, cut into small chunks
1 onion, halved
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg, slightly beaten
3 TBSP red wine
2 TBSP tomato paste or ketchup
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 cup flour
3 TBSP olive oil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (substitute homemade tomato sauce or store-bought pasta sauce)
1 lb. spaghetti or linguine

Throw one clove of garlic, the Parmesan cheese and the onion halves into a food processor and massacre them until the cheese is finely grated. Dump out into a large bowl and add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, wine, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Blend well; I find it's best to use your hands. Shape into 1-inch meatballs and line them up on a tray lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate for at least an hour. (If you want to freeze them, line a tupperware container wtih waxed paper and make sure none of the meatballs touch. Otherwise they'll freeze together. It's not the end of the world since you have to thaw them before you cook them, but still.)

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour the flour in a bowl and dredge the meatballs in the flour before plopping them in the hot oil. Brown lightly on all sides, turning with your fingers. Pour off the fat if you desire, throw in the clove of minced garlic, the oregano and the tomatoes or tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat and gently simmer until the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. When the sauce has 15 minutes left, make the spaghetti. Sit back and wonder if Tony really likes sushi more than Artie's chicken parmigiana.

Comments

[Beth - Zen Foodism]

Thanks for all of the practical meatball tips, Catherine! I've never made them before (gasp!) but I feel prepared to attempt them now!

At first I thought that you cooked the meatballs from the Official Sopranos Cookbook. LOL. Don't ask me how I know that such a cookbook exists! :)

Oh and I haven't watched Sunday's episode yet, so don't give away what happened!

[Robyn]

Yum! Don't give away any of this season's episodes on the blog pls...we have to wait for DVD! :-(

[Susan]

Goombahs? My Sicilian grandfather would have made you "disappear" for saying that word ... but not before feeding you his famous spaghetti and meatballs. In Fall River (Rhode Island), they used to line up around the block on Sunday afternoons at the bar he owned to get a taste of his grandmother's recipe. If you promise not to say "goombahs" anymore, I will share the recipe with you ;-)

[Jennifer]

I made your spaghetti and meat balls last night.
It was great!!!
What a fun way to get back into the Sopranos!!
Thanks so much.

[Little Sister]

Made this last night, and it was just the thing for a cold sunday night at home with the TV. and now i have a whole bunch stowed away in the freezer for another week! I had never made meatballs before, but i only had one fall apart on me-all the tips were really helpful (and as a bonus, they were really good reheated for lunch today).