Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs with an All'Amatriciana Sauce

    

  
Mmmmm, meatballs...Meatballs are a favorite at my house.  Young or old, spaghetti with meatballs can be a favorite.  Of course, as adults we know that we can take a dish from great to sublime.  The toss up for me is deciding which I like better, the improved meatballs or sauce of this recipe.  The meatballs offer a simple trick that I had never thought of before.  Stuffing a meatball with a piece of cheese beats any spice meat combination one could think of. This recipe uses a standard meatball recipe, and then calls for a cube of mozzarella to go into the center.  Having a household with cheese sticks available, I just diced a couple of cheese sticks into cubes and stuck them in.  The sauce is similarly simple, but a wonderful way to add lusciousness to any sauce, and of course I'm talking bacon.  Although, as sophisticates, we will use pancetta.  The Italians call this sauce all'amatriciana.  Its name derives from the town of Amatrice in Abruzzo.  It reflects the rustic nature of this region and its shepherds who cook their pasta with pork cheek.  We don't have to go there in modern America, but we can achieve a similar taste by simmering our sauce with pancetta.  We saw this same technique in the braised veal role sauce recipe from December.  This recipe comes from Giada DeLaurentiis' Giada at Home.  Whether your dinner guests are 5 or 50 or somewhere in between, give it a try.  Serves 4.
     
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
6 oz pancetta, diced
2 yellow onions, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 pinch plus 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
1 can plain tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup grated romano cheese
3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg
2 tbsp ketchup
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground veal
2 oz or cheese sticks cut into 16 1/2" cubes
1 lb spaghetti
    
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  For the sauce, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until browned all over, about 6 minutes.  Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside.  Add half the diced onion and soften for 5 minutes.  Stir in the 2 cloves of garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds longer. Add the tomato sauce, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of pepper, and pancetta, stir and cover.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in the romano cheese, cover and keep warm.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the other half of the onions, 1/2 cup parsely, 2/3 cup of parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, remaining garlic, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, remaining salt and pepper.  Add the beef and veal and mix to combine all the ingredients.  Divide the mixture into 16 pieces (in half, then those halves in half, and those in half again, and again).  Push a cube of cheese into each piece and roll to form a ball.  Place the balls on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook until tender, but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes.  Drain the pasta and then stir the pasta into the sauce.  Pour the coated spaghetti into a serving bowl.  Place the cooked meatballs on top and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and parsley.  Serve.