MEATBALLS WITH ANGEL HAIR PASTA
Who doesn't get excited about dinner when you hear "meatballs" searing on the stove and smell the garlic roasting in olive oil? There are so many variations to this ultimate comfort food, and considering I do not have a family recipe from an authentic Italian grandma, yes, because I am Hungarian, I just make it up as I go. It is a little more work than using frozen meatballs but definitely worth the extra effort. Don't be shy to make changes to this recipe, choose your favorite meat, add hot peppers or spices you like, use your favorite spaghetti sauce, or just a nice stock to make it a lighter meal. You cannot go wrong. Here is my version for tonight's dinner!
Ingredients for 4-6 servings, about 24 meatballs: (I halved this recipe for the two of us)
- I lb of ground beef, or ground pork, or half and half, I used beef but my favorite is pork
- handful of Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 eggs
- half a cup of grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of bread crumbs
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup of white wine
- 1 cup of chicken stock
- 1 lb of angel hair pasta or any other pasta of your choice
- freshly chopped basil
- extra grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Time to get your hands dirty...In a large bowl, first using a fork then your hands, mix together meat, chopped parsley, garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Add as much breadcrumbs as needed for a nice consistency, not too hard but keeping your meat nicely together.
Form 24 small meatballs and place them on wax paper. In a nonstick pan, warm olive oil on medium-high heat, add your meatballs to cook, turning them around gently with a fork or spatula making sure all sides are browned evenly. Now, at this point you can just place some or all in a covered glass bowl and keep it in your fridge to use in a day or two, or freeze all your meatballs for future dinners.
If you are making it tonight, then after meatballs are nicely browned in olive oil, add the white wine, let is simmer for a few minutes. Then add your chicken stock and cook it all through on low heat for about 10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper if needed.
Cook out your favorite pasta according to package directions, I used angel hair, drizzle drained pasta with olive oil. Serve meatballs on top of fresh pasta, garnish it with freshly chopped basil and Parmesan cheese. Buon Apetito!
