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Sundays are for Comfort Food
By Chef John Zakarian, Owner of Zak’s Prime Steakhouse
My Dear Friends,
Due to unforeseen circumstances we will have a quick recipe (something like one of Rachel Ray’s 30 min. meals of tuna casserole). Just kidding! But we are doing something very similar to tuna casserole in that it is a comfort food served family-style generally on Sundays. Why on Sundays? Because most of us would like to enjoy the last day of the weekend without the headache of throwing together a large complicated dinner. Every nation has a comfort food that is not only easy to make in a short period of time, but also traditionally enjoyed by all. And what is easier to make and more enjoyable than spaghetti and meatballs? Of course I have nothing against tuna casserole, which I really like, but spaghetti and meatballs was a Sunday preference in my family. I learned the recipe from my eighty five year old Italian born chef who swears that his meatballs are the best in the world. So now together we are going to make the best meatballs in the world. You be the judge. First of all, every great meal is created by marrying the best ingredients, all of which can be found in local farms or supermarkets. Here’s what we need:
Meatballs:
One pound fresh ground chuck
One pound ground sirloin
Four cloves garlic
One large yellow or Spanish onion
Bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley
One cup unseasoned bread crumbs
One egg
Half cup grated parmesan cheese
Sauce:
Three pounds plum tomatoes (also known as roma)
Bunch fresh basil
Virgin olive oil
Six cloves garlic
You’re not out of the woods yet. You also need to choose the type of noodles that will be used. Any type of pasta you select will be acceptable. My favorite is thin spaghetti or angel hair. However, you may opt for penne, rigatoni, linguine ….too many to list.
Let’s get ready to sing the Tarantella! Grab a large bowl for mixing the ingredients. Finely chop the garlic, onion and parsley in the food processor. Combine this mixture with the meat, grated cheese, bread crumbs and egg. Salt and pepper to taste. Roll up your sleeves and dive in! Once well mixed, begin shaping the meatballs about 3 oz per ball (if you prefer larger, go for snowball- it will taste the same). Do not over-mold, as the kneading action will cause the meatballs to toughen. Pre-heat the oven to 420 degrees. You should have about twelve meatballs. Place meatballs on baking sheet or roasting pan and bake for 15- 20 minutes.
For the sauce, blanche the tomatoes in boiling water for about a minute or two. After removing from heat, the tomatoes should be soft to the touch and the skin should be easily removed. Using a large saucepan, heat the extra virgin olive oil and add six sliced cloves of garlic and finely chopped onions. Sautee for about two to three minutes. Do not overcook. Using a masher, crush the tomatoes and add to the pan. Reduce the heat and let simmer for thirty minutes, stirring intermittently. Gently tear the basil leaves and add to the sauce five minutes prior to completion.
I trust you have already prepared the pasta of your choice, so you may begin plating. Add the meatballs to the sauce, remove from heat and let rest for five minutes. Plate the pasta, two meatballs (or as many as you like), and sauce over to your liking. Finish with a light dusting of grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.
Bon Apetito! Do not ignore the leftover meatballs- it will make a helluva meatball hero later! Remember, you can’t replace memorable Sundays, but those meatballs will always make you look forward to the next Sunday. Soon you will wish that every day is Sunday. Arrivederci, see you next month!www.zaksprimesteakhouse.com [2]
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