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Tag: marinara

  • Spaghetti and Meatballs


    spaghetti_and_meatballs_04.jpg

    We’ve been on a pasta kick, and what good is a that if you don’t have spaghetti and meatballs in there somewhere? If you play your cards right and have the marinara prepared ahead of time, you can make this rich and relatively quick spaghetti and meatballs easily…perhaps a bit too easily.
    Instead of using homemade noodles for this, we opted for packaged angel hair spaghetti, which we think gives the dish more diverse textures. Any pasta will do. At the end of the day, though, it’s all about the sauce and the balls.


    spaghetti_and_meatballs_01

    spaghetti_and_meatballs_01

    One trick we use is to soak the breadcrumbs in red wine. Since we use Pinot noir in our marinara, it’s a perfect match. This recipe will make a lot of meatballs, so hope is that you’ll have enough for leftovers.

    Spaghetti and Meatballs

    • ¼ cup homemade breadcrumbs
    • ¼ cup Pinot noir red wine
    • ½ lb. ground pork
    • ½ lb. ground beef (not lean)
    • ½ oz. (about ¼ cup) Italian parsley, packed
    • ½ onion, diced
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 1 egg
    • ½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
    • 1 tsp. salt
    • 1 quart marinara (we recommend Nate’s Pinot Noir Marinara)
    • 6 oz. dried angel hair pasta
    • parmesan, Italian parsley, red pepper flakes to finish

    Preheat oven to 350°F.

    Soak the breadcrumbs in the wine in a small bowl until the breadcrumbs have absorbed all of the wine, about five minutes. Place meats, onion, parsley, garlic, egg, salt, pepper, and soaked breadcrumbs in the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse until combined. Don’t process too much or you’ll whip the egg, which isn’t what you want here.

    Prepare a 13 x 9 baking dish with about half the marinara spread evenly. Set aside.

    Divide meat into 1.5-inch balls and place into the baking dish, leaving some room around the meatballs so they don’t stick together. Cover the meatballs with the rest of the marinara.

    Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160°F.

    Put a large pot to boil.

    Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Stir the marinara to incorporate the rendered fat and roasted bits that were on top of the meatballs. While the meat cools, cook pasta al dente. Strain and toss noodles with just enough marinara to coat the noodles. Serve with more marinara and three meatballs. Garnish with parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and red pepper flakes to taste.

    Yields about 18 meatballs.


    spaghetti_and_meatballs_03

    spaghetti_and_meatballs_03

  • Lemon Basil Lasagna


    Lasagna-03.jpg

    Sometimes, we like to go all out on a meal. Lasagna is one of those meals. We know we’ve been posting some quick recipes that you can make on a typical weeknight, but this one—this one is for the weekend.
    Lasagna is a production, especially if you’re making (almost) everything from scratch. For this we used Nate’s pinot noir marinara, but instead of using oil to caramelize the onions, we opted for rendered fat from ground pork. What really makes this shine, though, is Jon’s lemon-infused ricotta mixture. It accents the tart umami of the marinara perfectly, giving the lasagna a duality: rich and floral.

    Lemon Basil Lasagna

    • 1 batch everyday pasta, rolled to 5 or 6 thickness or 1 12-oz. package of no-boil lasagna noodles.
    • 2½ c. shredded mozzarella
    • ¼ c. parmesan reggiano or pecorino romano, grated

    Sauce

    Ricotta mixture

    • 1 15-oz. container whole fat ricotta cheese
    • ½ c. grated parmesan reggiano or pecorino romano, grated
    • 1 lemon, juice and zest
    • ½ oz. basil leaves, chiffonade
    • 1 egg
    • salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

    For the sauce, follow the directions here, browning the pork sausage in the same pot for the marinara over medium high heat. Remove the meat from the pan using a strainer, leaving the rendered fat and add diced onions to the hot pan. Add a small amount of oil if needed. Add the rest of the ingredients and reduce sauce for up to 1½ hours, stirring constantly.

    While the sauce is reducing, make the pasta dough.

    Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

    Mix the ricotta, parmesan, basil leaves, lemon juice and zest, and egg in a medium bowl.

    Roll out pasta into lasagna noodles and coat with a light dusting of flour to keep from sticking. Take a 13″ by 9″ baking dish and coat the bottom with just enough marinara, about 1 cup. Place a layer of noodles in the pan.

    Dollop in about a third of the ricotta mixture and spread evenly over the noodles. Add about ¾ cup marinara and spread evenly. Sprinkle ¾ cup mozzarella on top and place another layer of noodles on top of the layer. Congrats! This is your first layer!

    Repeat this twice.

    For the top, spread enough marinara to cover the noodles thinly. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and parmesan over the top. Cover with foil. Bake covered for 40 minutes. Remove foil carefully (use an oven mitt!) and bake for another 15–20 minutes, until cheese is browned and the lasagna is boiling.


    Lasagna-01

    Lasagna-01

    Remove from oven and let rest for 10–15 minutes before serving.

    Serves 8.


    Lasagna-02

    Lasagna-02

  • Nate’s Pinot Noir Marinara


    Marinara_01.jpg

    Marinara is a mother sauce that you can use in all sorts of Italian dishes, from spaghetti to pizza to lasagna to meatball subs, even just for dipping breadsticks.
    Jon and I make marinara differently. His turns out smoky and rich. Mine is more bright and floral with a slight acidic edge. (I think it’s because of the bay leaf and I put waaay less wine in the sauce.) You can’t make marinara wrong, but sometimes the freshness is nice. You can customize the sauce for the dish as you see fit.

    Nate’s Pinot Noir Marinara

    • 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
    • 1 medium sweet onion, diced
    • 6 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 tbs. dried Mediterranean oregano
    • 1 tbs. fennel seed
    • 1 10-inch sprig rosemary, leaves removed, minced (reserve the stick)
    • ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 2 cup pinot noir red wine
    • 2 tbs. olive oil
    • salt & pepper to taste


    Marinara_02

    Marinara_02

    In a large heavy-bottomed stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Sweat the onions (cook them until translucent), stirring constantly. Add tomatoes and stir. Add everything else, and bring to a simmer. Reduce to low heat and cook uncovered for 1 hour, stirring frequently. The sauce will reduce about halfway.

    You can refrigerate the sauce for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

    Yields scant 3 pints.