Linguine with Rustic Meatballs
March 26, 2009
Looking for a different spin on spaghettii and meatballs, try these terrifically satisfying Linguine with Rustic Meatballs. Rustic meaning that the meatballs are not rolled meatballs, but 1-1/2 inch free-form clumps. The sauce is not red from the typical tomato sauce, but red from the sweet vermouth that adds so much flavor to these meatballs, along with sweet red onion, carrots, and garlic. The final touches combine broth, celery, and fresh lemon juice, making this an eclectic pasta dish that your friends and family will love!! Sweet vermouth is a fortified wine, aromatized with herbs and spices, which is a main ingredients in the “Manhattan” cocktail. My source for this savory recipe was Gourmet magazine. I did change up some of the ingredients: ground veal was included in the original recipe that I opted not to use, and my linguine was a whole wheat linguine. Please enjoy!
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- ¾ lb. ground beef
- ¾ lb. ground pork
- 4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, small chop
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 cup sweet (red) vermouth
- 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 ¾ cups, reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 celery ribs, small chop
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 lb. linguine
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped, celery leaves
- Grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano
Break meat into 1 ½ -inch clumps (do not mix meats). Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook meat clumps with cumin, ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. pepper, turning occasionally, until pale golden in spots (inside will not be fully cooked), about 3 minutes. Transfer meat with a slotted spoon to a separate plate.
Add remaining 2 tbsp. oil to skillet and cook onions, carrot, and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to turn golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Add sweet vermouth, pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Whisk cornstarch into broth, then stir into onion mixture and return to a boil, stirring, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
Stir in meat, juices from plate, celery, lemon juice and simmer until meat is just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Cook linguine in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain pasta. Add pasta to meat mixture along with celery leaves and cook over medium-llow heat until just heated through. Add pasta water to moisten if needed. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve in large pasta bowls and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano
Serves: 6
Total time: 45 minutes
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