Believe it or not, we actually do still cook. The rules have, however, changed a bit. We do lots of cooking on the stove, because my oven’s heating power is the wattage and consistency of a 100 year old incandescent lightbulb. There is also the fact that we are country folk now, and our corner market is the local restaurant supply warehouse – which is like an odd combination of Costco meets Grocery Outlet meets The Dollar Store. Meaning, when you run to the market for milk you also come back with 6 pounds of bacon and a sleeve of 16 oz paper cups.
Meal planning these days usually involves harvesting a hunk of meat from the new chest freezer, and figuring out a way NOT to cook it in the oven. This soup has become a regular around our house because Porter could pretty much subsist on nothing but spaghetti, and Stella’s got mad skills at rolling meatballs.
Spaghetti & Meatball Soup
–from good ol’ Ray-Ray
Serves 6
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
You can also add zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, spinach or whatever additional veggies you can sneak in
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 quart chicken stock
1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin
1 Tablespoon Worcestiershire sauce
Generous handful of flat-leaf parlsey, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
Salt & Pepper
1/2 – 3/4 pounds spaghetti, broken into thirds (we usually use whole wheat)
Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, garlic, bay leaf, onion and carrots and saute 5 minutes or until softened. Season with a little salt and pepper then add the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes and chicken stock. Cover pot and bring to a boil.
Place the beef in a bowl and add the Worcestershire sauce, parsley, egg, bread crmbs, cheese, salt and pepper. After thoroughly combining everything with your hands, roll the mixture into balls the size of a large walnut and drop into the soup pot. Once all of the meatballs have been added, wash up and stir the broken spaghetti into the pot. Cook 7 minutes more. Season soup with salt and pepper to your taste, and serve topped with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.