Tender, Italian-style veal
balls simmered in a savory basil-mint tomato sauce with mushrooms,
bell pepper and dried grapes, and served over spaghetti pasta.
Italian
Veal Balls with Oven-Dried Grapes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
8 ounces lean ground veal
2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons milk
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
4 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley - divided use
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup seedless red grapes, oven-dried (see note)
1 (10-ounce) can button mushrooms, drained
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 (16-ounce) package spaghettini, cooked according to package
directions
- In a large, heavy skillet
over low heat, slowly heat oil, garlic, basil, mint, oregano,
red pepper flakes and black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes,
or until garlic is golden. Don't let garlic burn, or sauce will
be bitter.
- Turn heat to medium-high
and add tomatoes and tomato paste. Pour water into tomato paste
can and add to mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer,
covered, for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, combine veal,
bread crumbs, milk, egg white, one-fourth of the parsley, salt
and pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Shape into small balls,
about 1/2-inch in diameter. Spray a nonstick skillet with vegetable
cooking spray and brown meatballs over medium-high heat, turning
to brown evenly (give the pan a good shake to turn meatballs
nicely). Drain off any fat.
- To the sauce, add remaining
parsley, sugar, dried grapes, mushrooms, bell pepper and meatballs;
continue to simmer, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Serve over hot pasta.
Makes 6 servings.
To make oven-dried grapes
the day before you will be using them. Wash grapes, dry and place
in a 200°F (approximately 95°C) oven for 6 hours. You
don't want them dried and pliable like a sun-dried tomato; the
grapes should still be a little soft in the center. One cup of
fresh grapes yields 1/2 cup dried grapes.
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