Singing Spaghetti & Meatballs

Natalie gave me the apron for mother's day, but for father's day she gave me a pasta machine.  I've wanted one for years, its the crank kind and I love it.  Spaghetti was always one of Natalie's favorites.  I even have pictures of her in her rollerchair, when she was about one, with spaghetti all over her face. 

I'm thinking she was in Junior high and she came into the kitchen while I was cooking spaghetti sauce.  I had a great crop of tomatoes that year and everything was fresh out of the garden.  She was asking me all the ingredients and helping me measure them all out.  As we were mixing all the ingredients, we started pretending like we were on our own singing cooking show.  Singing dash of salt, tablespoon of basil and so forth.  Her friend Brittney walked in and gave us a crazy look, then we all fell out laughing.  I have to say, it's never boring around the house. 

While she's home next week, we might just have to find our singing voices and have another cooking show. 

Spaghetti and Meatballs with homemade pasta

Meatballs:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees - they will have to cook for 1 1/2 hours covered.  So start them first.

2 lbs. ground turkey
1 lbs. breakfast sausage
2 cups bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon milk
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Make sure your hands are clean and mix up with your hands

Form them into tennis size balls.  Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to your skillet or baking dish, adding the balls.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours covered.  Turning once.

Look at my fresh herbs from my own little garden:

Red Pepper Spaghetti Sauce:

Stick a red pepper on a small pan, in the oven, with meatballs for about 30 minutes.

In sauce pan mix together:

1- 28 ounce crushed tomatoes
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
1/2 cup fresh chopped oregano
1 teaspoon each - salt and pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup chopped red pepper (from the oven) - you can chop up the other half and put in the freezer

Mix all ingredients together and cook on low heat the whole time the meatballs are in the oven.  The longer you cook spaghetti sauce, the more flavors come out.

Wheat Pasta:  (or you can buy it at the store)

3 cup wheat self rising flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

On a clean surface pour out 3 cups flour and make a bowl - as picture below shows.  I usually have wax paper down.  I was out, so I used foil.

Crack 4 eggs and place in the middle

With a fork start mixing the eggs, stirring in a little bit of the flour to the sides and working it all in. Add  your olive oil and salt.

Put your fork down, and use your clean hands, mixing it and forming into a ball.  Wrap in Saran Wrap and set aside.

It doesn't take long for fresh pasta to cook, so in large sauce pan, fill it up half way with water, teaspoon of salt and bring to boil.

Ready for the pasta machine?  Roll your flour ball out just a little bit, flour your surface and cut off a 1" slice, roll out with rolling pin, insert  in machine and adjust your machine to the biggest (5), roll out, then adjust to (4), (3),(2). 

Next step, change out your hand crank to the spaghetti noodle and make your noodles.

After you roll your pasta out, stick pasta in the boiling pot of salt water and boil for about 7 minutes.  Take a tester out and try it.  If you over cook fresh pasta, it will get gummy on you.  YUCK!  Drain pasta and serve with sauce and meatballs.

Start eating!

Be Sweet and Stay Sweet