Food Network: Real Meatballs and Spaghetti

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Real Meatballs and Spaghetti
Copyright, 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, All Rights Reserved

Ingredients
For the meatballs:
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 extra-large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions
Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley,
Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine
very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch
meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet
to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the
meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat,
turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for

each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered
with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over
medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more
minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the
pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the
tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to
30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti
and pass the grated Parmesan.