A Flavor Filled Classic
Nothing can stand between my mom and I, and a bowl of spaghetti. By no means are we Italians in our family, but my mom always swears she was Italian in another life. We don’t claim to master the authenticity of Italian cuisine, BUT I do have my own doctored up version of the Puerto Rican Spaghetti and Meatballs. The name of the game here is slow. Let the ingredients mingle with each other when they meet in the pan.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Butter
Fresh grated garlic
Fresh curly parsley
Mozzarella or fresh parmesan
Fire Islander Sofrito
Fire Islander Adobo
Anchovies
Favorite Red Wine or red cooking wine
Italian Bread Crumbs
1 - Egg
Favorite jar of Vodka sauce (My favorite unequivocally is RAO’s Vodka Sauce)
Favorite box or fresh spaghetti
Ground Beef, chicken or plant-based ground meat
Tablespoon of sugar
Tablespoon of Worcheshire Sauce
Mix room temperature minced meat of your choice with fresh diced parsley, garlic, Fire Islander Sofrito blend, mozzarella, italian bread crumbs and one beaten egg into even balls [size is a preference, I’ll leave that up to you (-: ] Freeze for at least 45 minutes.
Take the meatballs out of the freezer and bake in the oven at 400 degrees F / 200 degrees C for about 20 minutes (10-15 minutes if plant-based). Just keep an eye on it. You want the oven to help you do most of the cooking and develop a slight crusty crunch texture BUT not fully cooked.
Boil water and salt. When water is visibly boiling, add pasta and cook just under al dente (about 5-6 minutes). Why do we want to cook it under? Because it will finish cooking when we add it to the simmering sauce. I lovingly challenge you to not over cook your pasta; it’s a game changer
To a large medium-heat saucepan, add olive oil, and as much butter, fresh grated or diced garlic, parsley, finely diced anchovies and Fire Islander Sofrito as your soul and ancestors move you to. If you want to add any other vegetables of your choice like onions, mushrooms, crushed tomatoes, etc., feel free to saute these with the previously mentioned ingredients. Open and pour your favorite jar of vodka sauce (you can never loose with the Rao’s Vodka sauce) to the pan with the tablespoon of sugar and Worcheshire sauce. Add ½ a cup of wine, as your soul desires. Let it simmer slowly to medium heat for about 5-10 minutes.
Add the meatballs and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes or until cook through. Add under-cooked pasta for another 2-3 minutes and voi-lá! You have my personal recipe of spaghetti and meatballs. Top it off with more mozzarella or fresh grated parmesan and/or fresh parsley.
Send us photos of your take on this flavor filled classic!
