Meatballs and Spaghetti in Red Tomato Sauce

Even grown-ups adore Spaghetti and Meatballs!   When it is this cold and chilly, expect your family (not necessarily just Italian families, we just embrace pasta so much, it is comfort food to the rescue) to scream “Spaghetti”.   Make this spaghetti for the grown-ups in your family, it’s got VODKA!

Refer to the images display on shaping meatballs.  I put on a plastic glove on my left hand and hold a spoon on my right hand.   Scoop some meatball mix, squeeze and force it out into your covered clenched left fist.  When desired size is obtained, cut it with spoon and transfer to foil-lined baking sheet.   I prefer baking the meatballs than pan-frying.   This way I have all the stove-top for making the red tomato sauce and boiling the pasta in salted water until al dente (meaning cooked but still firm to the bite, you just have to test and test, but be careful not to burn your tongue!).

I use sazon seasoning here for flavor (cilantro) and for color (achuete), it it inexpensive, all you need is a packet.    Give the sauce a medley of exploding spices and aromatics — garlic, onion, crushed red pepper flakes, celery, carrots, fresh basil leaves, dried oregano, dried bay leaves, salt and pepper.  I love it sweeter, but then it is all up to your tastes.   Long simmer (to blend all flavors well) is the key to achieving an over-the-top spaghetti sauce.   And you just have to have grated parmesan cheese.

Now, let’s do it.  Here’s the recipe:

MEATBALLS AND SPAGHETTI IN RED TOMATO SAUCE
Do this in advance and store in fridge.  And when hubby says, “I’m home”, you say, “Dinner’s ready in minutes”.  Sweet indeed!

Meatballs
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 lb ground beef
1 lb Italian sausage
4 eggs
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Preheat oven to 375°F.  In a large bowl combine all meatball ingredients; mix well.  Form into meatballs and place in foil-lined large baking tray.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoon cooking oil
1 packet Sazon cilantro/achuete seasoning
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper (Glenn/Tito Joe preferred 1 teaspoon)
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
1/3 cup vodka
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
½ tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup sugar (or more)
1 can mushroom pieces, drained
1 box spaghetti, cooked al dente in salted boiling water, drained
Parmesan cheese for topping

In a large casserole pot, heat oil and sazon seasoning over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes; saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper.  Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.   Add tomatoes, vodka,  basil, oregano, bay leaves and sugar; reduce heat to simmer until sauce thickens a bit.  Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning.  If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.  Use handheld immersion blender to puree the sauce.  Add mushroom pieces, meatballs and drained spaghetti noodles; toss.   Top with parmesan cheese.

Fried Tuna-Turnip Cakes and Spaghetti Sides

White at the bottom and a light to deep purple band on the top, these turnips (peak season from October to March each year) are most often snubbed by buyers at the produce section.   Me, included.   When hubby picked up 3 turnips from our last visit to “Caputo” because he likes eating them, I had to be honest with him I have zero knowledge about turnips.  He grinned, “I eat ’em raw or include in salads”.  Really.   But 3 days passed, I still see those sad turnips untouched and already losing a bit of their smooth waxy skin.  So I had to give these neglected turnips some “rough justice” (favorite line from my favorite TV judge, Judge Millian).  But I had to do a bit of “research” first to make sure my turnips dish would be truly delish-iousness.

Turnips 101

1.  Small turnips have sweeter and tender flavor.

2.  To clean, simply scrub with a vegetable brush under running water and peel with vegetable peeler.

3.  Raw turnips will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator crisper.

4.   Boil turnips with a potato in the water to counter the bitter flavor in the turnips.

5.    Blanch turnips first before freezing them.  Blanch for 3 minutes in boiling water and drop them into a bath of ice water to stop the cooking.    You can freeze them for up to 9 months.

And how did I use those lonely turnips?  Recipe follows.

Fried Tuna-Turnip Cakes
You have got to try this for a meatless meal.

1 turnip, pared and sliced in 1/2″ slices
2 cans (5 oz each) Tuna in Water, drained well
1 large egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
Enough oil for frying

Cook turnip slices in boiling salted water until tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain well; transfer to a mixing bowl  and mash with a fork.  Stir in tuna, flour, egg and black pepper.  Mix well with a fork.  Using an ice cream scooper, make tuna-turnip cakes and place in heated oil.  Flatten slightly with spoon or back of ice cream scooper.  Fry until golden in both sides.  Transfer to paper towel-lined platter.  Serve with tartar or cocktail sauce.

Spaghetti Sides
This is my go-to side dish to pair with my turnip-tuna cakes.

1 package (16 oz) spaghetti, cooked al dente, drained
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large skillet or wok, combine cream cheese, canned soups, butter/margarine, milk and parmesan cheese.  Cook until sauce boils; lower heat. Stir in cooked spaghetti and toss well to coat.   Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle more grated parmesan cheese.