Having a Family Dinner with Giada: All?Amatriciana with Meatballs

Giada cooks up a lovely stuffed meatball and pasta for a family dinner

I have been remiss. I adore the I Heart Cooking Clubs and I really enjoyed Tackling Bittman with them, but truth be told, it was easy for me because, well, I had How to Cook Everything and I love Bittman. Then, the dreaded hour came when Bittman was retired, and a new queen was crowned. Giada De Laurentiis.

Frankly, I had limited experience with Giada except seeing her occasionally as I flipped through the food network looking for Drive Inns, Diners and Dives (my guilty food viewing pleasure!). She seemed pleasant enough, and her kitchen on TV was to die for. Even if it was a television “set” I thought she was lucky to get to cook there. What I wouldn’t give for a kitchen like that!

So, the other day, I finally decided that if all the other Iheart folks could cook Giada, I certainly could as well, and off to the library I went in search of one of her cookbooks.

I have a rule about cookbooks and how I select them, which is a story for another day, but suffice it to say, I never EVER purchase a cookbook without taking it for a test drive. So, I browsed the stacks and came upon the many choices for Giada De Laurentiis. It seems to me, that she is very much into themes for her cookbooks. Small tomes, sharply focused with a limited number of recipes and heavy on the ambiance and the photographs.

So, which theme to select? Well, you all know me! Family comes first! So, off the shelves and into my library bag went Giada at Home.

Upon leafing through this cookbook dedicated to family recipes from Italy and California, I was delighted by the wonderful food photography. Jonelle Weaver does a great job conveying the flavor and feeling of the food in her well apportioned photographs. Props are used sparingly and the visuals are well balanced, making the food the center of attention. The family photographs that are interspersed are interesting, but a bit more background would have made them personal without divulging too much information. I think, if you choose to share your family with your readers, which is an extremely personal decision, you have to introduce them to us and explain the basic relationships and connections or they seem like models on a page.

On the whole, the recipes in this book are well designed and simple to follow. I decided to choose what I felt was her most difficult recipe in order to see if I could follow along well. I picked this for a sunday family dinner and served it along with a nice big mixed salad.

Serves 4 to 6 Page 76

Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 ounces pancetta, diced ( I didn’t have any pancetta so I used pastured uncured bacon diced small)

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano

Meatballs:

1 small (6-ounce) onion, grated

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1/4 cup

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 cup

1/3 cup Italian-style bread crumbs

1 large egg

2 tablespoons ketchup

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

8 ounces ground beef

8 ounces ground veal (I didn’t have any veal so I used 1 lb. grass fed ground beef)

2 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 16 (1/2-inch) cubes

1 pound bucatini or other long pasta (I used whole wheat spaghetti)

In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta or bacon and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and reserve. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and the cooked pancetta. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the onion, 1/2 cup parsley, 2/3 cup Parmesan, bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the beef and veal. Using your hands, combine all ingredients gently but thoroughly. Shape the meat mixture into 16 (1 1/2-inch-diameter) meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Make a hole in the center of each meatball and place a cube of mozzarella inside. Reform the meatball so that the mozzarella is completely covered with the meat mixture. Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes until cooked through.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Add the meatballs and sauce. Toss gently and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and Parmesan

Overall we really liked this recipe for a Sunday dinner.  I was surprised at the inclusion of ketchup in the recipe for the meatballs, as tomato paste would have worked better and not given the meatballs a sweet cast, which wasn’t entirely necessary. The melted cheese centers of the meatballs were a culinary delight, and the kids really enjoyed them. The sauce was very good, but I used some home made puree instead of the crushed tomatoes the recipe called for, and I also used bacon instead of pancetta. I liked the way MY sauce turned out, but I can’t 100% vouch for Giada’s sauce because my variation was significantly different. I wish though, I had made double the sauce because what I did make barely made four servings, so I would suggest doubling the recipe.

I would certainly recommend trying these recipes, but give yourself a good leisurely afternoon to cook them and an even more leisurely evening meal to enjoy them. They couple well with a rich cabernet sauvignon, a tossed salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing and a light fruit and cheese or sorbet dessert as the meal is on the filling side and hearty appetites will definitely be satisfied!

If you enjoy themed cookbooks, Giada De Laurentiis’ At Home is certainly one you will enjoy. She even has a section on throwing a family brunch, which, as you know, is one of my favorite things to do, so I certainly will be looking at this cookbook again! I am glad that I finally got off my butt and joined in with the I heart Cooking club folks and tried a new cook! It was worth the trip to the library for this lovely Sunday dinner.

This article is a part of the I Heart Cooking Clubs Kid at Heart Week, because the meatballs with the cheesy surprise center made me feel like a kid again Sundays at One Food Club, Tailgating Time, Monday Mania , Mouthwatering Monday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Dr. Laura’s Tasty Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Tuesday Night Supper Club,  Tuesdays at the Table, Tuesday Twister and Cookbook Sundays.