Have you seen The Post’s new web project, Food on Film? It features me and movie critic Michael Booth, talking about movies with, you guessed it, food in them. Mike discusses the filmmaking aspects, while I give a recipe or a cooking/eating tip.
This week, we remember “GoodFellas” and that memorable cutting-garlic-with-a-razor scene in prison.
And as if getting dinner on the table isn’t hard enough, a coked-up Ray Liotta scrambles to balance cooking spaghetti and meatballs as his drug-and-crime career zooms out of control.
He (and I) would tell you that the key to good meatballs is to use a light touch and not pack them down too firmly.
Spaghetti and Meatballs with Tomato Sauce
From “The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook” and cooksillustrated.com, serves 8.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup minced fresh basil leaves, or minced parsley leaves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano (2 ounces)
1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Olive oil
Simple tomato sauce:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves or minced parsley leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
Spaghetti:
1 pound spaghetti
1 tablespoon salt
Grated parmesan cheese
Directions
Meatballs: Mix beef, eggs, basil, cheese, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper in medium bowl until well-blended. Heat about 1/4-inch of olive oil in large skillet. Take a small handful of meat the size of a ping pong ball, and working directly over skillet, gently form each meatball. Cooking in batches to avoid overcrowding, carefully drop them into hot oil. Fry until evenly browned, 5-7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer meataballs to a paper towel on a platter.
Sauce: Discard oil in pan, leaving behind any browned bits. Add olive oil along with garlic; sauté, scraping up any browned bits, just until garlic is golden, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, bring to boil, and simmer gently until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil; add salt and pepper to taste. Add meatballs and simmer, turning them occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.
Spaghetti: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente, drain, and return to pot. Ladle several large spoonfuls of tomato sauce (without meatballs) over spaghetti and toss until noodles are well-coated. Divide pasta among individual bowls and top each with a little more tomato sauce and 2-3 meatballs. Serve immediately with grated cheese passed separately.
Food editor Kristen Browning-Blas can be reached at 303-954-1440 or kbrowning@denverpost.com.
