Spicy Sausage and Beef Meatballs with Homestyle Tomato Sauce

By Natalie 

Here we are making absolutely perfect meatballs in a homestyle tomato sauce for spaghetti or pasta dishes using ground hot Italian sausage to give them some bite.

To get the ground sausage simply remove the sausage meat from its casings and chop it up coarsely.

Meatball Ingredients: 

3 slices white bread (crusts removed), diced or torn to pieces
2/3 cup cold water
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more to serve
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour to dredge meatballs
3 TB olive oil or veg oil to lightly saute.

In a bowl, combine the cubed bread with 2/3 cup water and let sit and soften for 5 minutes. Mash with a fork.

In a fairly large mixing bowl combine: 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb ground sausage, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 egg and mashed bread crumbs. Mix until well combined.

Scoop into balls about 1 1/2" in size. You want them to all be a similar size so that they will cook evenly. Use an ice cream scoop to achieve this. This simple trick makes making meatballs so much easier.

Dredge/roll the meatballs in flour, dusting off excess.

Heat a deep, large, heavy skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat with about 3 tbsp oil. Add meatballs, 1 batch at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan and saute until browned on all sides, about 2 mins per side. Remove and set aside.

They will finish cooking in the sauce.

Sauce Ingredients:

2 diced onions
4 cloves minced garlic
2 cans crushed tomatoes (790 ml.)
2 bay leaves
salt an pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon vegeta
dash cayenne pepper (or to taste)

In the same pan used for the meatballs saute 2 diced onions over medium heat, adding a bit more oil.
Stir til golden and softened,. Add 4 cloves minced garlic and stir 1-2 minutes until combined.

Stir in 2 cans of crushed tomatoes along with 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper and cayenne. Bring to a light boil, sprinkle a bit of Vegeta seasoning over the tomatoes to season lightly.

Add meatballs back into the pan with the tomato sauce, partially cover with a lid and simmer to finish cooking for about 30 minutes. Turn the meatballs occasionally.

The meatballs should be tender and the sauce will have reduced a bit.

Cook the pasta. We prefer a more el dente pasta as it holds up better while mixing. Combine the pasta  sauce and pasta in the pot mxing gently.


Serve on a large platter or in individual bowls with more cheese and  basil scattered all over.

This goes well with red wine, a salad and extra cheese on the side.

Enjoy!

Pasta Puttanesca -- A classic, rustic sauce easy to make at home

Over the years, one thing I have found is that many people think that making a pasta sauce at home is a drawn out or difficult process. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many sauces can be made both fresh and very quickly and will taste far better than the vast bulk of canned or jarred sauces that are found on grocery store shelves.


There are any number of different recipes I could share (and maybe I will post a few more down the line) but the one that I am posting today is a really good way to get started for even the most nervous home cook. It is easy and yet very impressive.

This is my version of a classic Italian tangy, salty and spicy spaghetti dish known by a few names and with a few variations, but that is most commonly called Pasta Puttanesca. It is a rustic pasta sauce gem.

These ingredients are for about 500 grams of pasta. Spaghetti is most often used though linguine, fettuccine, etc., work well also. 

Ingredients:

4 - 5 cloves of garlic coarsely sliced or minced
5-6 filets of anchovies (or 1 small can)
1 small to medium jar of capers
Approximately 15 each of green & black olives pits in. (Use whatever variety you like, though for the black olives I prefer Kalmata olives. Fresh as always is best, but jarred olives are fine. I find that canned olives are basically inedible, however).
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon oregano
1-2 tablespoons red hot chili flakes (depending if you like hot or HOT!)
sea salt and pepper to tatse
1 large can diced tomatoes with liquid (if you can get herbed and spiced or San Marzano style that works best)

First prepare the spaghetti to al dente.

While doing that, heat some olive oil in a large saucepan to medium heat. Add the garlic as the oil just starts to get gets hot. Add the anchovies.  Stir in the oil blending together for 3-4 minutes or so, crushing the anchovies as you go and until the garlic is beginning to get sauteed.

Add the capers. Stir and saute another 1-2 minutes.

Add the green and black olives, Italian seasoning, oregano, red chili flakes and sea salt and pepper to taste (remember anchovies are already salty).

Stir and saute another 1-2 minutes.

Add the can of diced tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for around 15 minutes to thicken and blend flavours.

Add your pasta to the sauce and toss it all together evenly.

Have with crusty bread and, of course, a hearty Italian red wine.

Enjoy!

Basil Tomato Pasta Toss

By Natalie 

This is a really nice way to use up any extra fresh basil and tomatoes that you have from the garden or store.

First, prepare half a package of linguine cooked al dente. Liberally salt the cooking water.


Reserve 1 cup of the salted cooking water.

In a wide mouthed pan swirl in about 3 tbsp olive oil. Add 5 cloves of crushed garlic, 1  cup of roughly chopped fresh tomato, 1 small diced onion (or half a regular sized one) and season with a bit of pepper and salt.

Saute the fresh ingredients, slightly mashing down the tomatoes as you go, over medium heat. After a few minutes add the cooked and drained pasta to your pan and sauteed ingredients, adding some cooking water to create a saucy consistency.

Season this to taste and near the very end add a large handful of torn fresh basil and a handful of grated Parmesan cheese.

Serve alongside a bowl of fresh Parmesan, and baguette slices for a quick and delicious pasta side or main.

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Broccoli Chicken Alfredo Pasta

By Natalie 

Alfredo style pasta is a big hit in our house and this is a way to make it with chicken and broccoli that is perfect for a meal with family or friends.

Ingredients:
for 4 servings
2 tablespoons   olive oil
3 chicken thighs, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 strips bacon, cooked, chopped
1 head blanched broccoli cut into segments
salt to taste approx 1 tsp.
2 teaspoons  pepper
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups spiral pasta, cooked
1 cup Parmesan cheese grated finely.

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.

Cook the chicken in the olive oil until no pink is showing.

Add the garlic, broccoli, salt, and pepper cooking until the broccoli is softened slightly, a bit al dente is nice in my opinion though you can do it softer if you prefer..

Pour in the cream and bring to a boil. Add the bacon.

Add the pasta and cheese, stirring until the pasta is coated evenly. Thin slightly if needed, with a bit of milk or pasta water.

Taste for seasoning and serve in bowls with a sprinkling of freshly grated parm!

Do you have a left point-of-view or opinion, event or petition, a recipe or a story you want to share?

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See also: Charcoal BBQ Jerk Style Chicken

See also: Zippy Pickle Soup

Summer Shrimp and Mushroom Fettuccine Pasta Toss

Today we are going to take a look at a relatively light and very easy pasta toss that is perfect for a summer night dinner. This one uses shrimp, mushrooms and fettuccine.

While many fettuccine recipes are heavy with cream and butter -- and a lot of those, like Fettuccini Carbonara, are favourites of mine, don't get me wrong -- this one uses olive oil, garlic and seasonings to give a dish with kick and plenty of flavour.

To start, heat some olive oil in a large saucepan to medium-high heat. Add two cups of chopped mushrooms and 5 or 6 minced cloves of garlic and saute for around 5 minutes. Then add 1 pound (or around 30) pre-cooked, thawed shrimp and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. I like a lot of the black pepper. Add 1-3 teaspoons of red chili pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it) and saute the shrimp and mushrooms for around another 3 minutes or until the shrimp are slightly browned.

Remove the saucepan from heat.

Meanwhile, cook 700-900 grams of fettuccine until done to el dente and drain.

Using tongs add the pasta to the saucepan in batches tossing it. Add also another tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of mustard powder and more pepper flakes if desired.

Toss until everything is thoroughly blended.

Serve topped with freshly chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Pairs nicely with either red or white wine and hot evenings on the porch.

Enjoy.

Smoked Salmon and Spaghetti with Capers

Delicious and really easy to make, today's recipe looks at a terrific way to use smoked salmon.


This dish works best with spaghetti, spagettini, linguine or fettuccine noodles. We used spaghetti. This recipe uses ingredients for around 500g of pasta.


Prepare the spaghetti according to package instructions to al dente or to taste.

When drained and rinsed, put in a large serving bowl and toss the spaghetti with  around 1 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted butter until the butter melts.

Add 2-3 cloves of minced garlic, salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste and oregano or Italian seasoning to taste (I like to use around a tablespoon). Toss thoroughly. Then add 2 tablespoons of Keen's or Coleman's dry mustard powder and toss again.

Finally add one small jar of capers, drained of any liquid, and the smoked salmon.

Use as much smoked salmon as you want, and cut up in chunks or slices of whatever size you like. I like to chop a normal thin cut slice of smoked salmon into about three pieces for this.

Toss in the capers and smoked salmon so they are nicely and evenly distributed. Then add the juice of half a lemon and toss one final time.

Serve with more fresh ground pepper to taste.

Enjoy.

See also: Montreal Steak Spice Salmon Fillets

See also: Mediterranean "Taverna" Pasta Salad