A Simple Recipe: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Cooking has been a long-time interest for me. I grew up creating cooking disasters, and I've suddenly started making dishes that people quite enjoy. Much to my amusement, I have even made batches of cupcakes that my friends would gladly describe as "divine" or "sublime." In all honesty, these are not praises I thought I'd ever hear.

My favourite thing to do is work with basic recipes. You know, those things that seem to be staples of all people restricted by budgets or in school. They also happen to be the delicious comfort foods on which we may rely. Adding a certain sort of flare to them always makes them a bit more interesting. It allows for even simple things to become your own creations.

One of the most common when I was in college was pasta, particularly spaghetti. I never was able to get into tomato-based sauces, because I always felt the canned versions were far too acidic for my tastes. Perhaps it was the lack of other foods mixed with it; the taste never bothered me on pizza.

I was given the chance to make dinner for a good friend of mine recently. He had been having a run of terrible days at work, and I wanted to cheer him up. I know most people know the old adage of the way to a man's heart being through his stomach; this is quite possibly the one person I know for which this holds almost entirely true. Anyhow, when I asked what he would prefer for his meal, he said that he would like spaghetti. The following two recipes were my creations for his please-cheer-up meal.

Tomato Sauce
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (or enough to coat pan)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
sea salt and black pepper
2 28 or 32 oz. cans crushed tomatoes (can also blend 2 28 oz. cans plum tomatoes)
2 dried bay leaves
3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small bunch parsley
6 basil leaves, cut into long strips
pinch of red pepper flakes
brown sugar

To make the sauce, you first start by sautéing the onion and garlic in a sauce pan coated by extra-virgin olive oil. Next, you add the tomatoes and spices and simmer them on low for approximately an hour. After it's complete, remove the parsley and bay leaves from the mixture. If the sauce tastes too acidic, add brown sugar and unsalted butter to taste. The sauce can keep for up to six months if frozen.

I find that I enjoy making this sauce more similar to chili. Perhaps it's my adoration for Skyline's so-called chili after having lived in Cincinnati for two and a half years, but I rather like a tangy and sweet sauce. This won't turn out identical to them, but you can create a similar effect. Honestly, it really depends on your tastes, as most foods do.

Turkey Meatballs
½ lb. ground turkey
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped and sautéed
¼ cup dry bread crumbs
salt and ground pepper to taste
extra-virgin olive oil

This is a rather simple recipe. Combine all ingredients, except for the extra-virgin olive oil, in a bowl and mix by hand. Cover a pan with about a half inch of oil and heat. Fry the meatballs until golden brown.

The ground meat can actually be, well, anything. As I don't like red meat, I chose a healthier option. The first time I made this, I actually forgot to sauté the garlic. The flavour would have been stronger, but it still was prevalent because of the frying.

The two work out wonderfully for pasta. The sauce was rather simple and could be reheated to be used when it is needed. The meatballs fry up quickly and are incredibly flavourful, even if you happen to make a small mistake.