meatballs and pasta for dinner tonight.

Tonight I’m making homemade sauce and some of Sassy’s Meatballs.

I rarely purchase sauce from the store because I find that I can make it myself—and it tastes just as good, if not, better.

I adapted Jamie Oliver’s spicy arrabiata sauce [I only make spicy red sauce because Sauce doesn’t like plain red sauce].

Also, don’t be afraid to add your favorite herbs to the sauce i.e. fresh oregano, marjoram, basil, thyme—whatever tickles your pickle.

Ninamazing’s Pasta All’Arrabiata

- serves you and your mom

Stuff you’ll need

2 tablespoons olive oil—don’t go olive oil crazy but use your best judgment, little goes a long way!
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes—or more or less, depending how spicy you want it
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced or put it through a garlic press
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes—include about ½ of the liquid and reserve the rest to add more [I sometimes like to run it through the processor because Sauce doesn’t like tomato chunks]
Sea salt/fresh black pepper, to taste
spaghetti or whatever your favorite pasta is—I prefer Sclafani because it taste like heaven ha.
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar OR I use just dry red wine instead

How to make it taste like yums

1. Heat about 1 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan over low heat. Add the red pepper flakes, garlic and onion, and cook gently for around 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and let them cook until the sauce is quite thick, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti in the salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/4 cup of the cooking water [this is a very important step, don’t skip it].

3. Once the sauce has thickened, add the red vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Add the drained pasta and the reserved pasta water to the sauce, and toss to coat. EAT IMMEDIATELY and gorge your face.

The meatballs are a secret recipe from Belley to Sassy to Me and I can not share it.

All you need to know is that they taste amazing hahahaha.

~ by ninamazing on April 20, 2009.