I?m Back! And I Made Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs with Home-Made Sauce!

Okay, I know. It?s been way too long since I?ve posted. I could bore you with many excuses about how I?ve been too busy or how being sick followed by the major holidays really got the best of me and my time. But in reality, my heart just hasn?t been in it. I?m not sure why. Don?t get me wrong, I love cooking. But lately I just haven?t had the drive or inspiration to come up with anything culinarily speaking, let along have it be anything good enough to post about. I?ve been in a rut. But I think this dish may have done a lot to pull me out of that rut. The sauce alone is by far the best I?ve made. Its bold and complex, yet not overpowering and it perfectly compliments the lightness of any kind of pasta. But that?s not the reason I made this dish. It just so happened that our most recent share from our CSA had fresh homemade whole wheat spaghetti in it and it made me  immediately start craving meatballs.

Now I know that traditional meatballs are at least beef and often a beef and pork mixture. Some even add lamb to the mix. While there?s no denying the tastiness of those routes, we wanted something a little on the lighter side. So we turned to turkey. But to keep them from drying out, I braised them in the tomato sauce which kept them really moist and flavorful. Speaking of flavor, I did add some pork to up the ante a bit.

As for the sauce you can use your favorite sauce if you want, but I recommend trying mine. You can make it in a large batch and can or freeze it for later use. If you do end up making it, don?t skimp on the wine. I know that there is only 1/2 cup in it, but really good wine makes a big difference. I used the wine that we made last fall. It?s an Australian shiraz and I?ve found that it?s perfectly suited for cooking.

Hopefully, I will now return to regular posting. I?m sorry it?s been so dry here lately. I hate that I didn?t really do any good holiday-themed posts other than for Thanksgiving and that over the last two months I?ve really only had 3 posts. I promise to try to do better. For now, I hope you enjoy this recipe; we really did.

Spaghetti & Turkey Meatballs

3 slices pancetta or thick-cut bacon*, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 shallots, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

2 tbsp. ketchup

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 lb ground turkey

1 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 quart tomato sauce (my recipe follows)

In a lightly greased non-stick sauté pan, over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain when done; leaving behind the grease for cooking. (*If you are going to use bacon, I recommend blanching to remove some of the smokiness.)

In remaining bacon grease cook shallots until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking 2 minutes. Remove onion and garlic with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain, leaving behind any remaining grease for cooking.

In a large mixing bowl, combine bacon, cooked garlic and onion, and all remaining ingredients except for tomato sauce until mixed well. Form into 2? balls. Heat oil in sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté meatballs until brown on all sides, about five minutes.

Once all meatballs have browned, remove them from the pan to a plate.

Pour tomato sauce into sauté pan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to combine flavors left in the pan. Add meatballs to sauce and simmer covered for 15?20 minutes over medium-low heat to finish cooking meatballs. Serve over spaghetti, garnished with shaved Parmesan cheese.

And now, here?s my delicious pasta sauce recipe. It really is a great all-purpose sauce. You can fancy it up by adding more basil or garlic or even turn it into a vodka sauce. But, as it is, it?s pretty wonderful and would go perfectly over any pasta with a garnish of Parmesan.

Ben?s Tasty Tomato Sauce

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 quarts stewed tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup red wine

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

2 bay leaves

6 oz. can tomato paste

2 Tbsp. butter

sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, cook onion and carrot in oil until soft, about 7?8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, wine, crushed red pepper and bay leaves and stir well to combine. Bring to a fast boil and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and simmer covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and continue to simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and discard the bay leaves. Working in batches, process in a blender until desired consistency is reached.

Return to low heat and add butter and tomato paste. Stir in good sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot or store in an air-tight container in refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for up to six months. Makes roughly 5 cups.