I’m back!! Sorry for the extended absence, August was a flurry of vacations, friends, and animal sightings! James and I had our one-year anniversary of marital bliss (bliss sometimes; general tolerance the rest of the time), and celebrated by going back to Boston, where we met, and traipsing with some friends to Cape Cod, where we first vacationed. Then we went hiking, camping, and swimming in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (side note – did you know that the Smokies is THE TOP MOST visited national park in the U.S.? I was floored – I thought for sure it would be Yellowstone or Yosemite! #westcoastbias). The trips were great. Unfortunately, there was a not insignificant amount of rain in both places, but we made do. The Cape was stunning, as usual, and the Smokies were woody, forested peaks threaded through with rocky streams. Very picturesque, but definitely lacking the grandeur and scale of the West Coast national parks (#westcoastbias). James and I have a halfhearted goal of visiting all of the national parks, though, so that was a big one off the list! We also saw four black bears, which was really cool! All of the sightings were in very touristy locations, however, where we saw the crowds of people with cameras before we saw the bears, so it wasn’t too scary. It did prompt us to buy this amazing book, Bear in the Backseat, which I highly recommend, and which has taught me a wealth of information about bear behavior.

Also, FOOOOOOODDDD. Except when we were camping, James and I have eaten our way through the fried chicken restaurants of Tennessee. One place in particular, the Old Mill Restaurant in Pigeon Forge, TN, was AMAZING – James and I both got the fried chicken dinner, which consisted of six fried chicken legs, a side salad, corn chowder, corn fritters, green beans, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, and choice of dessert, all for $18.99 each! We ate ourselves silly, then took home leftovers for lunch the next day, which we lugged up to Andrews Bald for a sun-splattered, dozy picnic. We also sampled moonshine in Gatlinburg, TN, which tastes probably about how you’d imagine. There are a lot of different flavors, of which we got to taste 12, ranging from apple pie to strawberry mango margarita to seasonal peach. The tasting made us a bit more tiddly than expected, and we had to park our butts on some rocking chairs to take advantage of the free outdoor bluegrass concert before driving on to dinner! Gatlinburg, located right on the doorstep of the Smokies, is a thing of wonder – think the Las Vegas of Tennessee!

After we got back from the Smokies, we then immediately sauntered off to St. Paul, where my good friend Kate had graciously scheduled her baby shower to be at the same time at the Minnesota State Fair, which she loves. We went to the fair with her, and saw the most beautiful farm animals – baby donkeys, sleek horses, impressive cows, the state’s biggest boar, and tiny little 4-hour old piglets. We also ate a Scotch egg on a stick, the sweetest corn I’d ever tasted, and a bucket of ice cream. All in all, a very successful trip to Minnesota.

Okay, onto the recipe of this week. This recipe is a bit of a cheat, because I think probably 90% of my readers (read, friends) already know about it. However, IF YOU DO NOT, YOU SHOULD. It is an amazingly easy, no frills, set-it-and-forget-it pasta sauce that nevertheless tastes luxurious, rich, velvety, flavorful, and so much better than just the sum of its parts. We made it after coming back from the Smokies, when we were craving homemade (and not fried) food, but with hardly anything in the fridge and little time to go grocery shopping. With just five ingredients (canned tomatoes, onion, butter, pasta, zucchini), plus some olive oil, salt, and pepper, you can have a vegetable-forward, healthy, delicious dinner on the table with very minimal effort.

Marcella Hazan is widely considered to be the Julia Child of Italian cooking. Her cookbook, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, is fantastic, with recipes ranging from the foolproof (like this popular recipe) to the elaborate. I’ve made several things from it, and they have always been great. This sauce is not only easy, but also endlessly customizable. Feel free to toss in herbs, vegetables, even a little crumbled sausage. You can also do what my friend Kristin does, and make this sauce to go with some pre-made, fancy fresh pasta or ravioli, thus elevating your weeknight dinner game even more. The only limiting factor is your imagination!

Final Notes – this sauce gets better the more it’s simmered. The recipe tells you to simmer for 45 minutes, which is kind of a pain, but you don’t do anything while simmering, except give it a stir every now and then. So I’ve still classified this recipe as Fuss Factor 1, but just note it won’t be super quick. Also, Marcella tells you to throw the onion away at the end, but I don’t know why you would – it’s delicious, so I normally quarter the onion, then just serve the pieces with the pasta. Top with some Parmesan, and you have a pasta fit to be served in any trattoria off the coast of Italy!

We topped the pasta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and served it with a mountain of roasted zucchini, and it was just what we wanted after a week of fried chicken. Total time to dinner, including sides: 50 minutes

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Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce

Source: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, by Marcella Hazan

Also available on the New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, no salt or herbs added
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, peeled and cut in half or quarters
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper and Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

• Combine the tomatoes, their juices, butter and onion in a saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt.
• Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, mashing any large tomato pieces with a spoon. Taste, and season with more salt if needed.
• Toss the sauce with pasta, discarding the onion before tossing if you wish. Top with freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. This recipe makes enough sauce for a pound of pasta.

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.