I lived in Italy for six months when I was 23 years old, because, well, Italy. I was out of college with not that many employable skills (having majored in English), and I basically decided that Italy was as good a place as any to plunk down and think about the rest of my life. I taught English in middle schools, evening classes, and corporate offices. I was in love with the country, the language, the Mediterranean sunshine, and the mountains. But of course, what I most loved was the food. I basically ate my way through Italy. I never met a pizza or a pasta I didn’t immediately scarf down. I hunted down regional specialties with eagle-eyed precision, sampling pesto in Genoa, bolognese in Bologna, granita in Sicily, and prosciutto in Parma. Probably every other day, I treated myself to a gelato – pistachio and strawberry (fragola) were my go-to’s. I dunked Mulino Bianco cookies in cappuccinos for breakfast and bought focaccia studded with salty olives and sweet onions for lunch. I discovered buffalo mozzarella and new food trends that tickled me to the core with delight – apparently, the Sicilians started the trend of eating brioche con gelato (which is basically a brioche bun stuffed with gelato) for breakfast, and I never wanted anything else with my cappuccino.

The food is ridiculous in Italy. Honestly, every trip to the supermarket felt like a culinary adventure. I would buy the pre-made, prepackaged Barilla brand raviolis in the refrigerated section, and they would taste better than any of the pastas I could remember eating in the States. Sometimes I went to people’s houses for English lessons, and sometimes they would offer me lunch – I still remember a pasta dish with soft, wilted zucchini and charred potatoes that was so simple, yet so addictive. The last time I was in Italy was probably over 10 years ago, and I am way overdue for a food tour.

The thing I love about Italian cooking is that it often focuses on only a few ingredients, and prizes quality of those ingredients above elaborate preparation or technique. What this translates to is straightforward, simple weeknight cooking! I really love this spaghetti carbonara because it is easy, yet creamy, rich, and delicious. It’s also fairly foolproof – the worse that will happen is that you might cook the eggs instead of coating the pasta with them, but apparently scrambled eggs and pasta are also a thing in Italy, and it sounds delicious to me, so I don’t think I would even mind if this happened. So go ahead – find the most gourmet pancetta, cheese, and butter you can, pour some wine, and get an Italian feast together in under 30 minutes.

We personally ate this with sautéed leeks and roasted brussels sprouts, and one of James’s old fashioneds. Time to dinner, including all sides: about 45 minutes.

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Spaghetti Carbonara

Source: BBC Good Food

Ingredients

• 4 ounces pancetta
• 3 large eggs
• 1 3/4 ounces grated pecorino cheese (about 1/2 packed cup)
• 1 3/4 ounces grated parmesan cheese (about 1/2 packed cup)
• 12 ounces spaghetti
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (sometimes I use half butter, half olive oil to make the dish a bit lighter)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• Salt and lots of freshly grated black pepper

Instructions

• Put a large pot of water on to boil. If the pancetta isn’t chopped already, remove any rind and chop into small cubes about 1/4-inch across. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the two cheeses to the eggs, season with lots of freshly grated black pepper, and stir to combine. Set aside.
  
• Salt the pasta water liberally. When the water has boiled, add the spaghetti and stir so that the noodles don’t stick together. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until done.
• While the pasta is cooking, start the pancetta. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the pancetta and garlic. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the pancetta is golden and crisp. You can now discard the garlic, or, if you’re like me and enjoy eating large garlic cloves drenched in butter, feel free to leave them in. (I sometimes chop the garlic coarsely, and then just leave the pieces in. The butter really mellows their flavor, and they become quite flavorful)
• After the pancetta has browned, turn the heat to low. Drain the pasta when it’s cooked, but reserve 1 cup or so of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the pancetta in the skillet. Alternatively, you can transfer the pasta straight from the pot to the skillet with a pasta fork or tongs. Either way, don’t worry if pasta water drops in the pan as well (you want this to happen).
• Remove the skillet of spaghetti and pancetta from the heat. Pour in the egg and cheese mixture, and, moving quickly, use tongs or a long fork to toss the spaghetti and pancetta with the egg mixture. You’ll want to move and toss the pasta around quickly so that the egg mixture doesn’t cook and scramble. Add some splashes of the pasta water to thin out the cheese sauce to your desired consistency. I would start with about 1/4 cup and add more if needed – I usually end up using about 1/2 cup. The pasta should look silky, smooth, and glossy, and the noodles should slide about fairly freely. If the dish looks dry and stiff, just add more pasta water and mix. Season with a little salt, if needed, and lots of freshly grated black pepper. Toss until everything is combined.
• Serve immediately (in warmed bowls, if you're being fancy; spaghetti carbonara cools quite rapidly), topped with more freshly grated black pepper and grated cheese, if you prefer.

Sometimes we eat like toddlers.

Okay. Okay. Now you’re going to yell at me, because fussy meatballs, plus a load of ingredients for a separate sauce, plus maybe another vegetable to get your greens in, is not a weeknight dinner! And… I would have nothing to say back to you. You’re right. Deb from Smitten Kitchen (in case you couldn’t tell, my other fangirl cooking crush in addition to Melissa Clark) has an easier, quicker “Everyday Meatball” recipe, which doesn’t require you to brown the meat and is, in fact, a much likelier candidate for true weeknight dinners. I’ve also made this, and those meatballs are also delicious.

HOWEVER. I love the char you get from browned meat and can’t bear to give it up. So, to compromise, I squish as many meatballs as I can in my skillet, turn up the heat, and fry them for less time. You’ve already seen how I crowd my vegetables; now you know I also crowd my meatballs. The last time I made this, I ended up with 24 meatballs, which, annoyingly, necessitated a third batch of browning to brown a puny 3 meatballs. So next time, I would try to aim for 20-21 meatballs, and squish them all together in my 12-inch skillet to brown in two batches. Anyway, even with three batches, the browning, to me, is worth it for the resulting flavor. I also swap out fresh breadcrumbs for Panko here for ease and convenience. The meatballs are still delicious.

Also, I feel like the other point that I must make in my defense is that this recipe makes a mound of food, like enough for 6-8 servings (24 meatballs, about 3 meatballs per meal = almost 8 meals of meatballs!). James and I (eventually) eat all of it – because meatballs and sauce reheat so well, and I could never tire of carbs, oniony sauce, and tender beefy meatballs even if I have to eat it for four meals throughout the week. Also, I swear that it tastes even better the next day, and the next. So if you feel inspired on a slow Monday (is there ever such a thing?!), or even a Sunday, this humble, filling, hearty dish is for you!

We served this with a side of steamed broccoli, and it took me about 2 hours total, from opening my fridge door to sitting down at the table to eat. And now, wine!

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Meatballs and Spaghetti

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (where it was adapted from Ina Garten)

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound ground veal (You can substitute another ½ pound pork here, but I find the addition of the veal scrumptious)
• 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (or a small heap)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 large egg, beaten
• Vegetable oil
• Olive oil

For the sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (from 1 onion)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup good red wine (I omit this about half the time for less fuss, and the sauce still tastes totally delicious)
• 1 (14-ounce) can pureed tomatoes
• 1 (28-ounce) can chopped or diced tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (or a small heap)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

• 1 pound dried spaghetti, cooked according to package instructions
• Freshly grated parmesan

Instructions

• For the meatballs: Place the ground meats, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, onion powder, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Mix very gently with a fork or your fingers until just combined. You don’t want to overmix the meat (if you look closely, full pieces of ground meat should still be visible), as that will result in dense, tough meatballs and bland flavor. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. I always end up with about 21-24 meatballs, but you can make yours smaller or bigger as you wish.
• Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large skillet (mine was a 12-inch, 3-quart pan and was a bit too small for all of the meatballs and sauce) to a depth of about 1/4-inch. Heat the oil over medium heat. Working in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides, turning carefully with tongs or a fork, taking about 5 minutes per batch. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels to drain. Pour out the excess oil but don’t clean the pan - all of those stuck, charred meat bits will flavor the sauce.
• For the sauce: Heat the olive oil in the same pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent and softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
• Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and gently simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. I usually just poke a meatball open and look inside - the meat in the middle should be brown and juices should run clear. Meatballs are also hard to overcook since they’re basically just braising in liquid, which I also like for a weeknight meal.
• Serve: hot on cooked spaghetti and top with more grated Parmesan, if desired.