Spaghetti and Meatballs

A few months ago I wrote an article that got into adding my own flavor to a Wikipedia page. I had chosen to stay on the topic of food, of course, and I went to the page of my favorite food show: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I had seen the page and realized there were no sections speaking about celebrity guest appearances on the show; so, I decided to do my own research and add most, if not all, of the celebrities who had been on the show. 

What I wrote back then is still on the page, so, clearly, people agree and appreciate my addition. But now it's time to cook something from the show. And more specifically, I'm going to cook spaghetti and meatballs, the same thing that Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Kevin James cooked. They were cooking newbies and it was a fun atmosphere, host and chef Guy Fieri guided them through the preparations while they added the most unappetizing, random ingredients to their meatballs. Potato chips, gummy worms and mustard seeds were a few. 

But I'd like to make a delicious meal. One that is entirely from scratch- even the sauce. So here it goes, my first attempt at spaghetti and meatballs. What can go wrong?

The ingredients I used in this dish were: salt, pepper, milk, egg, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumb, garlic, onion, shallot, parsley, basil, raisin, spaghetti, and mixed ground beef, lamb, and pork. 

Alright, as per usual, you need to prepare a lot of pots and pans, bowls, forks, knives etc. This is the most laborious meal we've made so far. 

The sauce is going to take the longest time to cook and so, get started on that first. Have about 15 ripe tomatoes ready to be thrown into a boiling pot of water. You can throw them in individually or in small groups. Have the tomatoes in the water for about 30 seconds, then take them out and drop them into a large bowl filled with ice water. Finish the boiling process before beginning to peel your tomatoes. When all of the tomatoes are in the ice water, take each out and, with your hands, simply tear the skin off (it should come off rather easily). When you are done peeling, you have to cut each tomato in halves or quarters, and then, take out the rough insides. This, overall, is a 15 minute process if you're working alone. To finish, throw all of your tomatoes into a pot at medium heat. With time, the tomatoes will break down. Add seasoning at your own discretion, and add a few drops of red wine vinegar, olive oil or lemon juice, too. An hour or so in you can add some chopped shallot or onion, too, for texture and flavor. Mix throughout!

Next, it's time to create our very own meatballs. It's quite the fun process, actually. In a small bowl, combine about 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of breadcrumbs. Let that sit.

Chop up 1/4 onion and 1/4 shallot. Also, slice about 15 raisins into scraps.

Next, crack an egg into a large bowl with 1 tsp. of salt, 2 tsp. of pepper, 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of parsley. Whisk that until it is mixed nicely.

Then, incorporate the meat into the mixture. With your hands, squish and squash it all together. Lastly, blend in the soggy breadcrumbs and also, the onion, shallots and raisins. Continue to meld until you feel it's ready to become meatballs.

To construct a meatball, grab a small handful from the glob of mixed ingredients that will roll out to about 3/4 of an inch diameter. Roll the meaty mixture gently in the palm of your hands until the outside is smooth. 

Rack each one onto a sheet pan (covered with PAM); they don't have to be too separated. My mixture came out to about 30 meatballs. 

Throw the pan into the broiling oven. Keep an eye on them the whole time because they can be easily overcooked. 

In the meantime, you can prepare your spaghetti! It's as simple as throwing it in a boiling pot of water for about 10 minutes. 

When everything is ready you should have a delicious sauce that is as fresh the garden itself, meatballs that are succulent and tasteful, and a spaghetti that coils around your fork like a vine to a tree. 

Hopefully the three components to your dish come out around the same time so you can enjoy it hot. Enjoy!