Saturday, July 21, 2007

Traditional New York City Spaghetti and Meatballs: We gave it to the World

This is a Marinara Sauce that Vegetarians and other Pathagoreans can enjoy, simply by omitting anything to do with meat. You will have a perfect sauce you can eat in good conscience.

Some credit has to go to the Italian immigrants who, along with Hungarians, Slovenians, Czechs, Poles and other folk from Eastern and Southern Europe, began flooding into the cities of America in the late 1870's. Although the Italians did not introduce America to pasta, they did introduce America to eating the tomato.

There is a lot of irony, here. Most Americans believe that Marco Polo brought pasta from China to Europe, however, in G.B. Ramusio's edition of the "Navigationi e Viaggi," (c.1326), of M. Polo's sojourns, he quotes M. Polo, "Their wheat, indeed, does not render so much, but this they use only to make vermicelli and pastas...." The early introduction of pasta into the culinary culture of China is one reason credited for its early and sustained growth in population. That is, one could store wheat, indefinitely, for use during periods of famine. This was a lesson the Europeans would learn much later. The word "vermicelli" derives, of course, from the Latin "vermis," for worm. Vermicelli is thin spaghetti, and Polo's awareness of it is an acknowledgment by him of its existence in Italy. In fact, staples like vermicelli and spaghetti, made from wheat paste, entered Italy from Sicily during Roman times, and into Sicily from Carthage before the First Punic War (264-241 BC).

In America, we think of noodles and spaghetti coming from the Chinese, because the Chinese were in the U.S. in significant numbers before the Italian migration. The Chinese were imported to work on the Union Pacific, the western portion of the Transcontinental railroad (completed, in 1869) because they represented a cheap and easily replenishable source of labor. With them, came noodles and the first fastfood restaurants.

To the East, the counterparts to the Chinese were the Irish, who brought with them their staple food, the potato, Although, Germans, in small numbers ate the potato, the English thought of it as food for pigs. They would lose this attitude over the next 100 years, as the exigencies of feeding a large population during two wars in which they were cut off from their traditional continental food supply, made the nutritious and easily attainable potato very attractive.

The potato, coincidentally, is a cousin of the tomato and was also brought to Europe by the Spanish conquerors of pre-Columbian America. The tomato made its return trip to America with the Italians and other Club Med peoples in the late 19th Century. But, it was President Woodrow Wilson, who is credited with popularizing Spaghetti and tomato sauce by having it served as an entree at a State function during his presidency. Wilson may not have known much about European history, but, apparently, he knew which European foods tasted good.

All this gives old meaning to the expression: "What goes around comes around."

Cooked tomatoes produce an enzyme that protects men against prostatic inflammation and prostate cancer. It should be part of the general knowledge in the States, but if you have missed this piece of info, allow me to repeat it. By the way, the same does not apply to catsup. If you will allow me one morbid digression: The rule is, 50% of men over 50, have problems with their prostate gland. Of those, 50% get cancer. So, if their is a scientific evidence for consuming cooked tomato, every day, and, if you are a man approaching maturity, there is good reason to read the following recipe.

Spaghetti, with a Delicious Tomato-based Sauce, With, or Without Meatballs or Meat.:

These are the utensils and implements that you will need:

-One Italian Opera CD (Turandot and La Traviata are about the right length)
-A large 3-quart Iron Pot w/cover (failing that, Steel but never aluminum), for making the sauce.
-A large 9" in diameter Iron Frying Pan (failing that, Steel, but never aluminum) for browning the meatballs or the ground beef, if what you want is a meat sauce and not Meat Balls
-A large 3-quart pot (not aluminum) for boiling the water for the Spaghetti.
-A Long Wooden Spoon for stirring the sauce.
-A large metal spoon for placing the meatballs in the sauce.

It's going to be three hours from beginning to end (unless you want to stew your own tomatoes).

Ingredients:
-1 Small can of Tomato Paste
-1 Medium size can of Tomato Sauce
-1 Large can (1 and 1/2 lbs) of stewed Italian Tomatoes
-1 Cup of Beef Broth (Veggies omit this)
-1 pound or a pound and-a-half of Ground Sirloin or Round Steak (Veggies omit this)
-1 Cup of Dry Red Wine of your choice (If this is problematic, omit it). By the way, Hungarian Wines are always an excellent choice. If you are Italian, go Italian.
-1 Green Bell Pepper
-1 Large Onion for Sauce and One Small Onion for the Meat Balls (That's 2 Onions in all, Except for Veggies who will only need One). 'E Gads and Little Fishes, if you mess up with this, you will end up going Berserk, and Running Amok, later when it comes time to make the Meat Balls.
-4 or 5 Garlic Cloves. Smashed not diced for the Sauce (more is better), and 4 or 5 Cloves of Garlic for the Meat Balls, also, smashed not diced. Do you know how to smash Garlic? This is a heck of a time to be asking. Buy a wooden Mortar and Pestle. It used to be that the only places one could find them were in Puerto Rican Bodegas. Now, they sell them everywhere, even in Twin Pines, Montana, (pop. 176). That's called Cultural Diffusion.
- 8 to 10 pitted Olives (Slice them into two pieces)
-15 to 20 capers
-2 Tablespoons of vinegar
-1 Egg slightly beaten
-1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Spanish or Italian Olive Oil for sautéing Onions, Pepper and Garlic
-1/2 to 1 cup of Corn Oil for Browning the Meat Balls
-Freshly Ground Parmesan Cheese (for sprinkling)

Spices:
-1 1/2 Tablespoons of Oregano
-1 Tablespoon of Basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper (What? No Pepper Grinder? Buy one, but don't buy a new one. Here's a Secret. Beautiful old Antique Pepper Grinders sell in an Antique Shop for the same price as a new one. Probably that will change too, when the word gets out.)
-1 Bay Leaf

Okay, I think that we are ready. Start the Opera.

-Heat the large pot and add three or four Tablespoons of Olive Oil.
-Sauté, over a medium flame, the smashed Garlic, the sliced onions and the thinly sliced Green Pepper (slice them any way it pleases you to eat them).
-When the Onions are translucent, add the whole can of Tomato paste and stir for about five minutes. Then, add the tomato sauce and stir. Now, you can bring up the fire just a bit more.
-While you are heating the ingredients in the pot, open the canned (or ready your own precooked tomatoes). When the sauce is hot, again, pour in the tomatoes. Most canned tomatoes have a cooked Bay leaf inside the can with the tomatoes. Pick it out and throw it away. It has served its purpose, what ever that was..
-Add the vinegar.
-Bring up the heat. Add one cup of Beef Stock, or one cube of beef bouillon dissolved in one cup of heated water.
-Add the wine.
-Add two cups of water. The pot should be three quarters full with liquid and stuff.
-Add the Spices: Oregano, Basil, Salt and Pepper; don't forget the Bay Leaf.
-Stir and cook over a medium-high flame. Let it boil lightly, just remember to stir.
-With one eye on the stove, let's turn our attention to the Meat.

ALL YOU WANT IS A MEAT SAUCE?

Skip these three paragraphs if you are only interested in Meat Balls.

-Sauté the ground beef in a frying pan. Add a little chopped onion, salt and pepper to kill the smell of the beef. The burning beef smells. ( Well if Dr. Johnson were here, he would say that I used a Intransitive verb "smell" when I should have used a Transitive verb "Stink" as in, "I smell the meat, but the meat stinks."). There are some things we can never escape.

-When the beef is brown, separate the beef from the fat in the skillet. Add the beef to the tomato mixture and throw away the fat. Stir the boiling sauce (We can call it a sauce, now).
Lower the flame to medium, cover the pot, but leave a part of the lid off so as to allow the steam to escape. Check and stir every 20 to 30 minutes. When the sauce has been reduced to a thick mixture (2 1/2 hours), you are done.

-I hope that you have been tasting it. Don't worry how it tastes the first hour, that will change during the rest of the cooking time as the sauce thickens. If the sauce tastes too acidic at anytime, (usually the result of the Green Pepper), you can add One Teaspoon of Sugar. The Sugar doesn't make the sauce sweet, however, it neutralizes the acid. That is a well kept culinary secret. By now, you can tell that I am a really good person at heart.. N'est-ce pas?

-MEAT BALLS:

-Place your Ground Beef in a mixing bowl.
-Mince one small onion (Remember this Onion?) and toss into the bowl with the beef.
-Add one or two teaspoons of salt ( The amount depends on your taste and state of health)
-Add one teaspoon of Freshly Ground Black Pepper.
-Add the slightly Beaten Egg.
-Using both hands, thoroughly, blend the Egg, Onion and Spices into the Meat.
-When you are satisfied that you have made a harmonious mixture, wash your hands. Place the large frying pan on the stove. Set to a medium flame and add 1/2 cup of Corn Oil.
-ARE YOU STIRRING THE SAUCE? You know that I won't be there watching and telling you to do it. There should be a lot of liquid evaporating. If not, turn the flame up a little higher. No Extremes, Here!
-Press the meat between both hands making medium size balls, roll them around in your hands to make them as round as possible.
-Place the Meat Balls on a large floured serving plate or flat pan and roll the balls around until they are all covered lightly with flour. Do that to all the Meat. Finished?
-Place the Meat Balls into the Frying Pan, and brown, turning them around gently so as not to break them into pieces..
-ARE YOU CHECKING THE SAUCE?
-As each Meat Ball is browned all around, scoop it up with a large tablespoon and drop it (gently) into the sauce. When you are done with that and the sauce is bubbling, cover the pot, lower the flame, but not too low. Stir and adjust the flame according to how much sauce you have. Toward the end, if there is still too much liquid, i.e., the sauce is still too thin, uncover the pot and raise the flame and bring to a boil, stirring every few minutes.

When the Opera is over, the Sauce is done.

Boil water for the Pasta.
--Add to the boiling water a couple of Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Spanish or Italian Olive Oil. The Oil keeps the Pasta from sticking together. But remember, you have to stir the pasta constantly or some will stick and burn at the bottom of the pot. Use a long wooden spoon, if you haven't already figured that out, yet.
-It could be any Pasta. I recommend Spaghetti (in the U.S #9) or Vermicelli. Be careful, here, You cook Spaghetti #8 longer than Spaghetti #9, and Vermicelli you cook for only three or four minutes.

(When I show you how easy it is to be a Master Chinese Chef, I will teach you a trick you can do with Vermicelli. It is a closely guarded culinary secret. Don't you hate people who keep simple secrets. They, and not the Vermicelli are the worms.)

Serve:
-Light Green Salad, (Cucumber, Spinach, Kale and Romaine Lettuce with a Clove or Two of Smashed Garlic and a few Tablespoons (depending on the size of the salad), of Spanish or Italian Olive Oil).
-Ladle the Sauce onto your Pasta and sprinkle fresh ground Parmesan Cheese on top.

What? 'You want a Dessert? Hmmm, maybe the Peach Pie I made, yesterday, and is all gone, now, would be a perfect dessert. I'll send that along, this week.

When I was a kid, my mother who didn't like to cook, would invariably give me and my sister each $5 bucks to go to the Italian restaurant across the street. On other days, she would give us $3 bucks and tell us to go to the Chinese restaurant on the corner. After a while, I figured out that I could easily duplicate everything that I liked to order in the Italian restaurant. Sometimes the chef gave me a few hints, other times I just worked them out through trial and error: my sister being the reticent guinea pig.

Learning to cook Chinese was a lot more difficult. I didn't have the linguistic ability to communicate with the cooks. I was not culturally familiar with some of their spices and herbs and style of cooking. I knew that I could make rice better than any I have been served in any restaurant. But, to feel confident about my Chinese cooking required a long trip and circuitous journey and meeting some interesting people who made the process simple and interesting. The tale is the secret ingredient in my Chinese cooking.

Did you know that the word, "Oriental" comes from Latin. The "Orientis" was the first religious rite of the day. It was celebrated when the sun began to rise (in the East). If you wanted to orient someone who was lost in the woods, you would show them East and they should have been able to figure out the rest. For the Romans, exotic Greece was the Orient. The last rite of the day, when the sun set (that is cut in half):, was the "Occidens." So, it follows, then, for the Chinese, the United States is the Orient; for Americans, the Chinese are Occidental. You just can't make this stuff up-- not even, occidentally!

I consider anything that has been served in restaurants in America during my lifetime, Traditional American Food.

Amicalement,
From Paris