Name: Spaghetti con polpette (Spaghetti with meatballs)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 750 gm dried spaghetti; 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; To serve: torn basil leaves; Sugo; 1½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 80 ml red wine; 1.4 litres tomato passata; 2 each fresh bay leaves and thyme sprigs; Polpette; 800 gm minced veal; 200 gm minced pork; 60 gm pine nuts, toasted; 50 gm each parmesan and pecorino, finely grated, plus extra to serve; 50 gm mild pancetta, finely chopped; ¼ cup fine soft white breadcrumbs; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 egg yolk; 1 tbsp each coarsely chopped parsley and oregano; 2 tsp each coarsely chopped rosemary and thyme; 2 tbsp olive oil

Spaghetti con polpette (Spaghetti with meatballs)

We've kept things fairly traditional here, but the rich red-wine sauce and aromatics of thyme and oregano make for a winning formula, so why mess with it?

Serves 8

Prep

30M

Cook

1H 30M

Total

Ingredients

750 gm dried spaghetti

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

To serve: torn basil leaves

Sugo

1½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

80 ml red wine

1.4 litres tomato passata

2 each fresh bay leaves and thyme sprigs

Polpette

800 gm minced veal

200 gm minced pork

60 gm pine nuts, toasted

50 gm each parmesan and pecorino, finely grated, plus extra to serve

50 gm mild pancetta, finely chopped

¼ cup fine soft white breadcrumbs

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp each coarsely chopped parsley and oregano

2 tsp each coarsely chopped rosemary and thyme

2 tbsp olive oil

Method

1.Preheat oven to 190C. For sugo, heat extra-virgin olive oil in a wide shallow saucepan over medium heat, add onion and sauté until starting to soften (5 minutes). Add garlic, sauté until very tender (10-12 minutes), add wine and cook until reduced by one-third (2-4 minutes). Add tomato passata and herbs, bring to the boil, season to taste and set aside.

2.Meanwhile, for polpette, combine ingredients (except olive oil) in a bowl, season to taste and mix with your hands to combine well. Roll golf-ball-sized pieces of mixture in your hands until they start to feel elastic, and set balls aside. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat, add polpette in batches and turn occasionally until golden (2-4 minutes). Add to pan with sugo, season to taste, cover with a lid, transfer to oven and bake until polpette are cooked through and sauce is rich and thick (1 hour).

3.Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente (5-10 minutes). Drain, toss in extra-virgin olive oil and serve with polpette in sugo, scattered with basil leaves and extra parmesan and pecorino.

By Gourmet Food Team

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking and dining. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.

Styling by Vanessa Austin