rigatoni_and_meatballs

Rigatoni and Meatballs
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Rigatoni and Meatballs

Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

2

hours 

This was a frequent Sunday dinner that my mother prepared. Also. this would be prepared when my mother visited with her sisters (their parents emigrated from the Abruzzo region of Italy). The “sugu” (sauce) would be left slowly simmering for a couple of hours. Spare ribs (illustrated) can be added to this recipe. About a pound of pork ribs cut up into pieces of 2-3 ribs are browned just after the meatballs before adding them to the sauce.

Ingredients

  • 2 large cloves of garlic

  • 2 lbs ground beef

  • 3/4 tsp salt

  • 1/2 bunch parsley

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 cup cracker meal (this can be made by chopping Nabisco saltine crackers with unsalted tops in a food processor)

  • 3 small cans Contadina tomato paste

  • 4 tbsps oil (or equivalent amount of chicken fat)

  • 2 1/2 quarts water

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 4 quarts water

  • 1 tbsp salt

  • 1 lb dry durum semolina rigatoni

  • 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese (Locatelli brand recommended)

Directions

  • Slice garlic into small bowl and mash into paste.
  • Put ground beef into wide pan, add 3/4 tsp salt, about 1/4 bunch of finely chopped parsley, the garlic paste. and 2 eggs. Mix well.
  • Add cracker meal slowly while mixing by hand until mixture becomes stiff. Roll into 1 1/4 inch diameter balls using palms of hands. Save unused cracker meal for future use.
  • Scrape with spatula the contents of tomato paste cans into bowl.
  • Put about 2 1/2 quarts of water in large pot and start to heat to boil.
  • Add oil to large frying pan to coat bottom. Heat and add meatballs. Fry meatballs until they are browned uniformly, stirring and turning as needed. This may take about 15 minutes. When done. remove them from frying pan and put them back into the pan they came from.
  • Add tomato paste to frying pan. Heat for about 5 minutes while stirring constantly, then add heated paste to water.
  • Chop about 1/4 bunch of parsley a little more coarsely than before, and add to sauce. Add 1 tsp salt and stir.
  • When sauce boils, add meatballs. Return to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 2 1/2 hours.
  • About a half-hour before the sauce is done, put about 4 quarts of water in another large pot and bring to boil.
  • When water boils, add 1 tbsp salt and then dry rigatoni.
  • Boil rigatoni for about 12 minutes, or al dente, then drain in large colander.
  • Transfer rigatoni to serving platter and add desired amount of sauce, then sprinkle with pecorino romano cheese.
  • Also transfer some of the meatballs from the sauce pot to a serving dish.