How Spaghetti and Meatballs is Made in Italy | Grandma's Secret from Abruzzo

By Vincenzo's Plate · 60 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Finely chop the onion and carrot, blend them with a splash of water until smooth to make the soffritto.
2. In a large pot on medium-low heat, warm 4–5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, add the soffritto and cook about 7 minutes until soft and fragrant.
3. Blend the peeled tomatoes without their liquid until smooth, then add the leftover liquid to the pot, followed by the blended tomatoes, and stir well.
4. Add the whole celery stick, broken in half, and simmer the sauce gently on medium-low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
5. Mix the ground beef with the grated Pecorino Romano, egg yolk, salt and pepper, mixing gently by hand with lightly wet hands.
6. Roll the mixture into tiny meatballs about 1 cm, the size of a pea or small marble, and place them on a plate lined with baking paper.
7. Spoon a portion of the finished sauce into a separate large pan for the meatballs, and set the rest aside for the pasta.
8. Bring a large pot of water to the boil with 1 tablespoon of rock salt. Drop in the meatballs and cook about 1 minute, until they float. Keep the water for the pasta.
9. Transfer the meatballs with a strainer into the pan with the sauce and simmer on medium-low heat about 10 minutes, stirring gently with a wooden spoon.
10. Once the sauce is done, remove and discard the celery. Taste and adjust salt, turn off the heat, and stir in torn fresh basil.
11. Bring the same pot of water back to the boil, add the spaghetti alla chitarra and cook about 2 minutes until al dente. Reserve a mug of pasta water before draining.
12. Transfer the drained pasta into the large pot with the main sauce, set over low heat and toss gently to coat.

Summarized from Vincenzo's Plate's video. Watch it for the details.

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OnionEggCheeseTomatoCarrotParmesan cheeseCeleryGround beef