This my absolute favorite comfort food. The meal that could solve all of the world’s problems. It’s the food I grew up on that always inspires nostalgia. I remember being with my dad in the kitchen as a kid and him having us plunge our hands in the cold bowls of San Marzano tomatoes to break them up. This is our family recipe that was passed down from my Sicilian grandparents to my dad.

San Marzano tomatoes are essential for this recipe. They are a little pricier but they really do make all the difference. Also, please for the love of god stop buying non-refrigerated pre-grated cheese. It’s not real cheese. (Literally guys, one of the first ingredients is cellulose, aka wood fiber .)

I know everyone thinks cooking their own sauce is such a pain, but I promise you it’s not. And it’s SO much better. Once you have this sauce you’ll never go back to store bought. It will ruin you, but in the best way.

It’s also the ultimate lazy food. You can make a bigger batch of sauce and freeze half of it for those days when cooking is just not going to happen. You can also use this sauce for a ton of other recipes.

David Richey was really the OG food influencer before it was even a thing. Seriously. Every single person who came for dinner at our house would beg him to open a restaurant, but luckily my dad realized that his joy in cooking came from being able to leisurely prepare meals that he liked and to witness firsthand the joy of guests eating said meals.

So without further ado, here is David’s recipe for the ultimate spaghetti and meatballs recipe:

“This pasta sauce is a basic sauce that you can use for many different dishes. It is close (I hope) to the sauce that I used to see my dear Sicilian grandmother Rosaria  Garrisi make. The key to it is to always fry the tomato paste. That is, when you add it per this recipe, you clear a spot out on the bottom of the pan and you brown the tomato paste (some would say carmelize) some of the paste on the bottom of the pan. I also add some dry white wine to almost all the sauces I cook (pinot grigio or dry vermouth). Always use good extra virgin olive oil made from olives only from ITALY or SICILY. This is a basic sauce that can be used for a lot of different recipes.”

 

Sauce

Prepare all of your ingredients ahead of time

 

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 small onion- peeled and chopped fine

1 or 2 pinches of Peperoncini ( crushed red pepper)

Bay leaves- some bay leaves are very strong, so you may want to cut back on the amount

 3 Garlic cloves- peeled and chopped fine

 Extra virgin olive oil

 2 tablespoons Tomato paste

 2x 28 oz can of whole San Marzano tomatoes. (can be packed with basil leaves)

1/2 lb of spaghetti

Step 1

Heat frying pan on medium heat

Put olive oil (enough to cover bottom of pan) in a medium frying pan or pot and add onion, peperoncini and 2 bay leaves. Add ½ tablespoon of salt. Cook until onion is translucent and add chopped garlic, stir and clear a spot for 4 tablespoons of tomato paste.

Watch carefully so nothing burns and toast paste on pan bottom in the spot you cleared. Add ½ cup of white wine and stir to mix ingredients and cook off wine.

When the wine is mostly evaporated, add 2 large (28 oz.) cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes that you have put in a bowl and hand crushed (so there are not any large pieces of tomato), fill empty can halfway with warm water and add to pot. Bring this to a strong simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes stirring and tasting tasting for salt and doneness periodically.

While the sauce is cooking, bring a pot of salted water to boil. Once the water is boiling add your pasta sauce. (Do not be one of those idiots who adds the pasta to cold water. It is beyond disturbing and there is natural selection for a reason.)

Cook according to instructions on package, (most pastas generally need around 8-9 minutes). Test to make sure the spaghetti is al dente, aka not a hot, soggy mess, like you after 10 hours of day drinking rose in the summer sun.

                                     Meatballs

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

3/4 lb. ground beef

3/4 lb. ground pork

1/2 lb. ground lamb

 3/4 cup breadcrumbs (soaked in milk and then squeezed to get most of the milk out after ½ hour)

 ¼ cup of olive oil

 ¼ cup dry white wine

2 eggs-beat with fork

1/2 C. fresh grated Parmesano-Reggiano (imported from Italy)

1/2 T. salt

 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper

 1/4 t. oregano

1/2 t. basil

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley-very important

Mix everything just enough to roughly blend – too much mixing and kneading isn’t good

Form meatballs, rolling in your hands about 1 ½ inches in diameter and put in an oiled roasting pan (or baking sheet)  and roast for about 8 minutes. Turn meatballs and roast another 5-8 minutes. Add to pasta sauce and cook for about 10 minutes (simmer). Do not over cook to avoid dry meatballs.

Drain pasta and add to sauce. Mix together thoroughly and top with parmesan and freshly chopped parsley. Serve immediately, but also save some for leftovers because fuck eating a sandwich for lunch. (Unless it’s my "not so basic bitch veggie sandwich”).