pappardelle and meatballs

to serve

line a large bowl with the pasta, add some chopped tomatoes, chopped olives, and the meatballs. top with some fresh basil leaves and a dusting of parmesan cheese. buon appetito!

my sister, marilyn, recently gave me jamie oliver's latest: "cook with jamie". i am best inspired in the kitchen by a well-styled food photo, and this book is full of persuasive shots. while perusing jamie's book, i came to the spread for "pappardelle with a ragu of tiny meatballs", and so i had my stimulus for sunday dinner. 

i like to make pappardelle because you don't need the pasta machine, so it's quick and easy to clean up. and, my husband is always in the mood for meatballs: on pasta, in a sandwich, or over a plate of potatoes. i made a lighter version of the jamie oliver recipe, and chopped some fresh grape tomatoes with sicilian olives, instead of making a ragu sauce. the outcome was as pretty as it was delicious.

pappardelle

• 2 eggs

• a few tbl. olive oil

• a few tbl. dried basil

• about a scant 1/2 cup semolina flour

• about 1 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour

• kosher salt

1. beat the eggs, olive oil, and basil in a med. mixing bowl with a whisk.

2. add the semolina flour and salt, mix with a fork.

3. start adding the flour a little at a time until you can form a ball that is not too sticky.

4. turn the dough out onto a floured counter and knead to a soft, firm ball. (add a dusting of flour, a little at a time to reach the right consistency).

5. cover with plastic wrap and let it rest about an hour. at this point you can make the meatballs.

6. set a large pot of water on the stove to boil.

7. cut the dough in half. roll one half out on a lightly floured counter. keep the other half in the plastic.

8. dust both sides of the rolled out sheet of pasta with flour, and fold it in half & then half again.

9. cut the pappardelle to about 1" wide and unfold the strands before dropping into the pot.

10. repeat with the second half of the dough.

11. boil the pasta about 7 min. and strain it.

12. drizzle the cooled pasta with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.

meatballs

• 1 lb. of ground chuck

• 2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced

• about 1 tsp. red pepper flakes, ground in the mortar & pestle

• a pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg

• kosher salt and ground pepper

• 1 egg

• a handful of grated parmesan cheese

1. mix all the ingredients well. form the meatballs and refrigerate while you cut the pasta.

2. heat some olive oil in a large skillet.

3. saute the meatballs until they're cooked through.