Spaghetti and meatballs (for a crowd).

Reeeeally this post is just an excuse to talk about our weekend. That's not to downplay the food, but when you're surrounded by good friends, in a beautiful place, and your toddler went down for a three hour nap in the afternoon after a morning in which you got to take him "kee-ing" (skiing) for the first time, it's hard not to love whatever is set before you on the table.

We spent this past weekend with a group of close friends and their babies on the shores of Lake Tahoe. The snow at Squaw Valley was sparse and wet which made for a shorter day of skiing on Saturday, but still satisfied all the same (from what I hear). I was jealous of the skiers, of course, but I was also excited about my plan to take Charlie skiing for the first time and get to introduce him to a sport I love. Unlike his mama, this kid seems to show no fear, so I had a feeling he would take to skiing pretty quickly. He was excited before we even got to the slopes - after we rented boots and skis of his own. They my boots, they not Daddy's boots, they my boots. They not Mama's boots, they Charlie's boots.

The ride down the "mountain" ended up being more of a work-out for me than for Charlie, as I was wearing hiking boots and tried to basically hold him upright while maneuvering his skis into a "pizza slice" to keep him from going too fast down the mountain. When he (we) got tired halfway down, we took off his skis and sat and ate snow for a while. After our second trip down, we called it a day and went and got hot chocolate - the perfect end to any ski day.

I spent Charlie's extended nap time blissfully going to the grocery store by myself for the makings of good meatballs and spaghetti. This recipe comes from the Cook's Illustrated Meat Book which was gifted to me by my mother-in-law this past Christmas. I had been looking for dishes that could be made for a crowd, particularly relatively cheap pasta dishes, and was looking forward to testing it out.

The recipe is filled with explanations for the science behind the ingredient choices, which is helpful when you're adding unflavored gelatin (whaa? Oh, to replace the gelatin in often-used ground veal - adds suppleness) or high-quality prosciutto and Parmesan (adds glutamates - of course!) to the meatballs. I was skeptical along the way at times, but I have yet to be disappointed by a Cook's Illustrated recipe, and this one definitely delivered. It helps so much on time and effort that you don't pan-fry the individual meatballs! Also, I will note, the recipe is pretty easily cut by 1/3 or 2/3 to feed four or eight, respectively.

Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs for a Crowd
Adapted, barely, from Cook's Illustrated Meat Book
Serves 12

Meatballs
2 1/4 cups panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup plain yogurt thinned with 1/2 cup milk)
1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin dissolved in 3 tbsp water
2 lbs 85 percent lean ground beef
1 lb ground pork
6 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped fine
3 large eggs
3 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups), plus more for serving
6 tbsp fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Sauce
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, grated
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
6 cups tomato juice
6 tbsp dry white wine (I used red - really whatever is open)
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tbsp fresh parsley

3 lbs dried spaghetti (recipe recommends DeCecco no. 12 after in-depth taste comparison)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. If necessary, adjust oven racks to upper middle and lower middle positions. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil and set wire racks over. Spray wire racks with cooking oil spray. (I did not have wire racks or aluminum foil given it wasn't my kitchen, so I just placed the meatballs directly on the baking sheets. It worked fine, although I would recommend still spraying or wiping with vegetable oil to try to limit the amount of sticking and save time washing dishes.)

In a large bowl, mix together panko and buttermilk and let sit until smooth paste forms, about 10 minutes. Using your hands, mix in beef, pork, prosciutto, eggs, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and dissolved gelatin. Form mixture into about 2-inch balls, making 30-40 meatballs total and place on wire racks. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking.

Meanwhile, in a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add grated onion and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Finally, add tomatoes, tomato juice, wine, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and bring to a simmer.

This next step can be done in the oven or on the stove top, depending on your preference. If choosing oven, once meatballs are done cooking, decrease oven temperature to 300 degrees. Gently add meatballs to sauce and place in oven, covered. Cook until sauce is thickened or about 1 hour. Alternately, (if you don't' have a large oven-proof pot) you can add meatballs to sauce and simmer over low heat on stove top for about an hour to hour and a half, uncovering for last 15 minutes or so.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente, reserving about 1/2 cup of cooking water. Once sauce has thickened and is ready to serve, add fresh basil and parsley. Add about 2 cups sauce to pasta and toss to combine, adding reserved cooking water as needed. To serve, add pasta to large bowl and top with remaining sauce and meatballs. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.