authentic

love this dish – spaghetti and meatballs

June 9, 2024 by Becky Spoon

This Spaghetti and Meatballs is a very easy recipe with simple ingredients. I watched an old school chef from Italy make this on Tiktok. His tomato sauce was basically tomatoes. I made a simple marinara and added fresh basil from my garden, The meatballs will melt in your mouth. Not heavy and dense but light and tender.

love this dish -spaghetti and meatballs

What you will need for the meatballs:

Ground beef
French bread that is a little stale
milk
parmesan cheese
garlic
parsley

I used 80/20 ground chuck. I had a loaf of french bread in my freezer that I used for my bread crumbs along with whole milk to soak the bread. I used parmigiano reggiano which is a little expensive but worth it for this recipe.

What you need for the Mainaro sauce.

San Marzano tomatoes from Italy
onions
garlic
red pepper flakes
fresh basil
olive oil

To make the best tomato sauce for your italian dishes, San Marzano from Italy are the best. You may find some that say San Marzano “style” but they are not the same. I’ll show you some brands.

I like to use a sweet onion for this recipe especially because sometimes tomatoes can be a little acidic so a little sweet helps. You can also add a pinch of salt. You can omit the pepper flakes but I like them. Make sure you don’t burn the garlic. To prevent that I add the garlic after the onions are translucent. I saute further with the garlic, stirring to prevent burning until the garlic is fragrant. I immediately add the tomatoes at that point.

What would you serve with this?

I like a good salad and garlic bread with my Spaghetti and Meatballs. It just seems like the perfect fairing. Here’s my recipe for my Caesar Salad which just makes sense to have with meatballs to me. A Classic – Beautiful Caesar Salad.

My favorite things I used making this recipe:

San Marzano tomatoes, Authentic https://amzn.to/3RiMp7m

If you cannot find Authentic San Marzano a good substitute is Red Gold Whole Tomatoes. Here’s a photo.

I love a bowl for a meal better than a plate. These are my favorites at home and they are perfect for any meal. https://amzn.to/3VejQcs

Rotary Grater:https://amzn.to/4bOFZoY

Tips for making this recipe:

Don’t overwork your meatballs. Lightly toss the ingredients together to prevent them from being tough.
If you can use Authentic San Marzano tomatoes. They make a huge difference.
As in any Pasta dish make sure you add the pasta to sauce before serving. I always have a separate pan that I ladle some of the sauce into, then add a little pasta water and allow the pasta to cook in the sauce in this skillet for a minute too so that it is coated. You don’t want a pile of plain pasta that has an added sauce later. You want to incorporate the sauce and the pasta to make a cohesive dish,
Save the meatballs and sauce for a meatball sub, the best or use in your lasagna, Love this! Leftover Meatballs Lasagna

More pasta recipes:

This is a Spaghetti and meatball recipe that uses a ready to use jarred tomato sauce and the meatballs have more ingredients. Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Here is the recipe for this homemade spaghetti and meatballs. Enjoy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

These meatballs are so tender they will melt in your mouth,

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Ingredients

2-3 1 inch slices stale french bread or other bread on hand
enough milk to soak the bread
80/20 ground chuck
1/2 tsp tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup freshly grated parmesan Reggiano.
1 garlic clove grated
1/2 cop finely chopped fresh parsley
1 egg
1 lb dried spaghetti

For the Marinara Sauce

2 28 oz San Marzano tomatoes whole tomatoes (authentic) or a good substitute is Red Gold whole tomatoes
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 diced sweet onion
7-8 chopped or thinly sliced garlic cloves
pinch or so of red pepper flakes
leftover rind of parmigiano reggiano cheese
Bunch of fresh basil leaves
Salt to taste

Instructions

For the Meatballs

Place a strainer or colander over a bowl. Slice the bread and tear into pieces and place in the strainer or colander. Soak the bread with the milk and allow to sit several minutes.
Place the ground beef in a bowl breaking it up. Squeeze the milk from the bread and add the bread to the beef. Add the cheese, salt and Pepper, grated garlic and fresh parsley. Gently fold the ingredients together, then add the egg and continue to combine. Form the meatballs to the size you prefer.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons evoo to a heated skillet. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Add them to the prepared sauce and simmer for about 20 minutes making sure to keep at a medium to low heat to prevent the meatballs from breaking up.

For the Marinara Sauce

In a bowl or food processor add the tomatoes and break them up with your hands for more of a pureed consistency or I used my food processor and pulsed them to make a chunky puree.
In a pot large enough, on medium heat add the evoo then the onions and saute until they are translucent. Add the red pepper flakes and the garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant without burning. Immediately add the tomatoes. Add the cheese rinds and the fresh basil leaves either whole or that you have chiffonade.
Cook for about 10 minutes. Check for salt. If the tomatoes seem a little bitter add a pinch of sugar. After your meatballs have browned add them to the sauce and continue cooking for about 15-20 minutes on a low heat or simmer so that the meatballs absorb the goodness of the sauce.

To finish the dish

While the sauce and meatballs are cooking bring a large pot of water that you have generously salted to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to the your preferred doneness. I like mine a little past al dente. I like a little softer noodle without overcooking.
At this time you can (if you want) remove the meatballs for plating. In a separate large skillet, add just enough tomato sauce to cover your spaghetti. I add a little pasta water, maybe about a quarter cup, then add the pasta straight from the pasta cooking pot allowing excess water to drain off and then toss until completely coated. Pile the sauced pasta in a large bowl, or individual plates or bowls. And the desired number of meatballs and top with a little more sauce. Top with fresh basil if desired and a generous shaving of parmesan cheese. Bon Appetit!

Keyword Italian, marinara sauce, meatballs, parmesan reggiano, san Marzano

love these delicious Frijoles Charros!

April 22, 2024 by Becky Spoon

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Frijoles Charros is my absolute favorite! It’s a complete meal with flour tortillas, cornbread, or chicharron. This traditional Mexican recipe is known for its authenticity. I’ve come across information that people in the Blue Zones include beans in their daily diet. According to Dan Buettner, the author of The Blue Zones: Secrets for Living Longer, consuming a cup of beans each day can potentially extend your lifespan by 7 years. https://amzn.to/4dbmbgG is a link for the book

Frijoles Charros. What’s in the recipe?

Pinto Beans
oil for cooking the beans
salt
onion
tomato
jalapeno
Hot dogs or frankfurters
chorizo
cilantro

I enjoy preparing my own chorizo, which is both simple and tasty. What I appreciate most about it is its reduced greasiness compared to the store-bought chorizo in Texas, which tends to be very greasy unlike the cured chorizo. To address this, I prefer making my own. Here is the recipe for my delicious homemade chorizo: Delicious Homemade Chorizo with Eggs, Hashbrowns, and Refried Beans

I also make guacamole to go with my fajitas and here is that recipe: https://the2spoons.com/1-delicious-guacamole/.

Here’s the link for my fajitas that I served the Charro beans and guacamole with: https://the2spoons.com/easy-grilled-skirt-steak-fajitas-and-shrimp/

Fajitas, guacamole, these yummy beans, homemade flour tortillas….delicious meal.

Here’s the recipe! Enjoy!

Frijoles Charros

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Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican, Texmex

Servings 8 servings

Equipment

Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker, or Slow Cooker

Ingredients

1 lb pinto beans, rinsed and soaked
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp oil
1/2 small white onion, diced
1 jalapeno, removing the veins and seeds, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 lb bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
3 Frankfurter's of your choice
1/2 lb chorizo
Handful of chopped cilantro

Instructions

In a large pot add about 6 cups of water and one pound of beans. Add 1 tablespoon salt and one tablespoon oil. Cook until the beans are tender.
While the beans are cooking, dice 1/2 of a small onion, one jalapeno and 2 roma tomatoes. Slice the bacon into small pieces and slice the 3 Frankfurters into small pieces.
Start with sauteing the bacon until it starts to brown. Add the frankfurters and cook until they have slightly browned. Drain the excess fat and add the chorizo, cooking until it has cooked through. Then add the onions and jalapenos. Mix and cook for about a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
When your beans are tender, add your mixture and a handful of cilantro. Cook for another 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

You can use vegetable broth instead of water. You don’t want to use too much water if using an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker because it does not cook down like cooking stovetop does. If you soaked your beans overnight they will take less water.

Keyword charro beans, mexican food, pinto beans, sidedish, texmex, vegetables

a favorite – authentic carne con chile colorado.

July 12, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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When I first met Allen he wanted me to make Carne Con Chile Colorado which is meat with red chile. I didn’t really know what it was and I’d search for recipes to learn how. We didn’t have the tools then to search the Internet, I’d ask him what it was, I’d look at it and taste it at Mexican restaurants trying to figure out the ingredients. I tried to make it many times, not reaching the desired results.

Years later, I’ve finally learned how to make it. Little did I know how easy it really is. Simple. I’m sure making it many more times will improve it and I’m sure my friends in Mexico can teach me more things in cooking this dish, but I’m proud of my accomplishments and feel they will love my dish.

a favorite – authentic carne con chile colorado.

I used pork butt but I’ve seen this dish also with beef. So for the red sauce I used New Mexico red chile and ancho chile. I can find New Mexico chile in my store, but if you can’t you can order on line or you can use a California red chile.Dried chiles should be pliable and smell slightly fruity.

There are instructions in the recipe portion, but what you do to make the sauce is remove the seeds and stems from the dried chile. Then you add them to boiling or hot water and allow them to sit for about 30 minutes. After that add them to a blender along with cumin, Mexican oregano and onion, and a mixture of garlic and salt. Process until very smooth , then strain discarding any remaining skin or seeds. You can use a blender or food processor, but I really like to use my Nutribullet. It really pulverizes the chile making the straining so much easier. Here’s a link:https://amzn.to/3ek1C1G. Great for smoothies too!

One of the steps is to grind garlic and salt together in a Molcajete adding a little water to form a slurry to add to the chile puree that you can also do in the processor or Nutribullet. Here’s a link for the Molcajete. https://amzn.to/3fmnU4a.

a favorite – authentic carne con chile colorado.

I served this with refried beans and Mexican rice, along with flour tortillas. Here’s a link for those recipes: https://the2spoons.com/pinto-beans-for-refried-beans/.

and the rice https://the2spoons.com/essential-mexican-rice/

Here’s the recipe for this dish. Enjoy!

Carne con Chile Colorado

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Course Breakfast, dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

3 lbs pork cubed
10 New Mexico red Chile or California red chile, stems and seeds removed, or other red chile
2 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
1/4 cup water for the pork
1 tsp salt for the pork
2 tsp flour for the pork
2 cups water for the pork
boiling water for preparing the chile
1 tsp salt for the red chile puree
4 cloves garlic for the red chile puree
1 1/4 tsp Mexican oregano for the red chile puree
1 1/2 cups water for making the chile puree

Instructions

Remove the stems and seeds from the chile. Bring a pot of enough water to a boil just to cover the chile. Turn the water off and allow to sit for about 30 minutes. Strain pressing through with the back of your spoon, discarding any skin left behind.
Meanwhile, add the cubed pork to a heavy pot with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook on low heat checking about every 10 minutes and stirring until all the pink has gone.
While the pork is cooking make the chile puree. In a molcajeta or food processor, add salt and the garlic and make a paste. Add the oregano and crush, then 1/4 cup water to the mixture.
Remove the chile from the water and place in a food processor, blender or I use the Nutribullet. Add the garlic, salt and oregano mixture, along with the 1 1/2 cups water. Process until smooth. Strain, pressing with the back of a spoon until just some of the skin remains. Discard the remaining skin.
Then, remove the lid for your pork and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes, until the water has evaporated and the pork starts to brown.
Add 2 teaspoons flour to the pork mixture, stirring to combine. Cook for a minute or so.
Add the red chile and Stir. Add 2 cups water and cook on medium until the pork is tender.
I add a potato or two diced, because Allen likes it with potatoes.
Serve with refried beans, Mexican rice and flour tortillas. Pasar Bien! Enjoy!

Keyword carne, carne con chile colorado, New Mexico Red Chile, pork, pork with red chile, red chile pork