Americans enjoyed most of the food at the scores of Italian restaurants that opened in the twenties, but they couldn’t understand the appeal of spaghetti and tomato sauce: Where was the meat? To accommodate, the restaurants began to top the pasta with meatballs. This recipe takes the dish a step further by adding the Sicilian flavors of pine nuts and currants.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 large egg
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- 2 tablespoons dried currants
- 1 pound spaghetti
Instructions:
- Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion; sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juices and 2 tablespoons basil; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until sauce thickens, breaking up tomatoes with fork, about 1 hour. Mix in 2 tablespoons basil. Season with salt and pepper. Set sauce aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil baking sheet. Mix crumbs and milk in medium bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Mix in Parmesan, onion, basil, egg, garlic and pepper. Add sausage, pine nuts and currants; blend well. Using wet hands, form mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place on baking sheet. Bake until meatballs are light brown and cooked through, about 30 minutes. Add to sauce.
- Cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Mound in dish. Bring sauce and meatballs to simmer. Spoon over spaghetti.
