The Notorious B.I.D. (Big Italian Dinner)

INTRODUCTION

The order of operations here is a little different than with Neapolitan Spaghetti and Meatballs, because that one is more of weeknight dinner. This recipe is a weekend project, although in reality it will only take you part of an afternoon. The recipe is essentially the same, with the key differences being (1) a longer simmer time on the sauce and (2) letting the meatballs tighten up in the fridge for a few hours for maximum tenderness.

Definitely clean out your fridge before making this dinner – you’re going to need space for

1. Meatballs on a cookie sheet
2. Ramekins of Crème Brûlée
3. A Bowl of Salad
4. A jar of salad dressing

Here’s your complete Big Italian Dinner Menu:

1. Main Course: Spaghetti & Meatballs
2. Side Dish: Garlic Bread
3. Side Salad: Italian House Salad OR Classic Caesar Salad
4. Dessert: Crème Brûlée
5. Suggested Wine Pairing: A Nice Chianti (no fava beans, no liver)

STEP ONE: MAKE THE CRÈME BRÛLÉE

This step comes first you so you can give it maximum chill time to set in the fridge. You can read the full post on Crème Brûlée here if you wish.

Three things to keep in mind as you make your Crème Brûlée:

1. Eggs yolks curdle (i.e., scramble) between 152°F and 158°F. If you dump something hotter than that into eggs, they’re going to scramble
2. Caramelization (when sugar browns) happens at 338°F
3. A water bath (more on this later) is essential because it ensures that the custard in the ramekins (the fancy name for the bowls these are made in) never exceeds 212°F

Ingredients

For 3, 7oz Ramekins – double this recipe for 6, 7oz Ramekins

1. 2 cups heavy cream
2. 4 egg yolks
3. 1/3 cup sugar
4. 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5. 1/4 teaspoon or tiny grating (if using whole) nutmeg – optional

Method

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (38°F below the temperature that sugar caramelizes) with the rack in the middle position
2. Arrange ramekins in an oven-proof baking dish or pan that is 2-4 inches deep

Step 2: Warm the cream

1. In a medium saucepan or small pot, begin heating cream over medium-low heat. You want to warm it up, but you don’t want it to boil.
2. Once cream is barely steaming, stir gently and remove from heat
3. AVOID SCRAMBLED EGGS: Using an instant read or probe thermometer, allow cream to cool to 150°F – 2 degrees below the temperature that eggs scramble

Step 3: Meanwhile, while cream is heating and cooling

1. Separate yolks and whites from 4 eggs, reserving the whites for another use, if you like. Place yolks in a large-ish bowl.
2. Add sugar, vanilla extract and nutmeg to the egg yolks
3. Beat together with a whisk until homogeneous and slightly fluffy

Step 4: Combine the cream and eggs to make a custard

1. Place the bowl with the eggs and sugar on a damp kitchen towel for stability
2. In your non-dominate hand, grab the pot with the cream, using a hot-holder or kitchen towel if needed
3. In your dominate hand, firmly grab hold of a wire whisk
4. Begin whisking the egg mixture rapidly, and add cream a splash at a time while continuing to whisk like hell until all the cream is incorporated into the egg mixture.

Step 4: Bake the Crème Brûlée

1. Pour the custard into the ramekins in the baking dish, trying not to spill the custard outside the ramekins – use a ladle if you need to.
2. Pour hot water (tap-hot is fine) into the baking dish (NOT the ramekins themselves) until the water level comes up about halfway around the ramekins
3. Carefully (like you’re handling plutonium) place the baking dish with the ramekins into the oven, careful not to slosh the custard in the ramekins
4. Bake for 45 minutes at 300°F

Step 5: Cool the Crème Brûlée

1. After 45 minutes, remove the Crème Brûlée from the oven
2. Using needle nose pliers, carefully lift the ramekins out of the water bath and place on the counter to cool for 30 minutes
3. Once sufficiently cool, place ramekins into the fridge for 3 hours, or for up to 3 days
4. Serving instructions are at the end of this post.

STEP TWO: MAKE THE SALAD

Step 2 is to put your salad together, but don’t dress it yet – just reserve it in a bowl in the fridge, with the dressing in a separate container. Get the dressing together as a first step so that the flavors have time to marry for a little bit. And yes, definitely make your own dressing (recipes follow) – once you do, you’ll never go back to store-bought.

I’ve included recipes for both an Italian House Salad, as well as a Classic Caesar Salad, but obviously you don’t have to make both!

The key to a great salad dressing is to over-season it. I learned this from an Italian chef who, interestingly, was once the personal chef for the Sultan of Dubai.

His point was that most of the dressing was going to wind up in the bottom of the bowl. He said “When you taste it, if you think, oh, I f**ked that up, you probably did it right.” I’ve never forgotten this advice, and it’s spot on.

For An Italian House Salad:

For the Salad:

1. Salad Base – for this salad, I prefer a mix of romaine lettuce and radicchio. You can usually buy this at the store in a bag under “Italian Salad Mix” or something similar
2. 4 Roma Tomatoes, seeds removed and sliced into 1 inch pieces OR 12oz cherry tomatoes, whole or halved.
3. 1 Cucumber, ends removed, sliced in half and then cut into ¼ -inch half rounds
4. 8oz non-marinated, plain artichoke hearts
5. ¼ cup pitted green olives
6. ¼ cup pepperoncini or yellow banana peppers (optional)
7. ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

For the Salad Dressing:

1. 2 oz extra virgin olive oil
2. 1½ oz red wine vinegar
3. 1 garlic clove, grated
4. 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
5. 1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning (or ¼ teaspoon each: fresh or dried thyme, dried oregano, dried basil, dried parsley)
6. ¼ teaspoon pepper – I like to use Aleppo Pepper, but regular black pepper is good too
7. ¼ teaspoon sumac (optional)
8. ¼ teaspoon MSG (optional – no, it won’t make you sick)
9. ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt

Instructions:

For the Salad Itself:

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Salad can be made 1 day in advance if it is not dressed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to dress and serve.

For the Dressing:

Add all ingredients to a 4 oz mason jar, or any other container that can be shut tightly. Shake vigorously to emulsify. For best results, allow flavors to marry for 30 minutes. Refrigerate if not using within 2 hours. Dressing can be made 3 days in advance. If it separates in the fridge, no big deal – just give it a good shake right before you’re about to use it.

For a Classic Caesar Salad:

Ingredients

1. 1 Egg
2. About 1 cup vegetable or Canola oil (olive oil will get bitter if you beat it up too much)
3. 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
4. 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
5. 2 teaspoons dry ground mustard
6. 2 teaspoons Anchovy Paste (optional, adds umami!)
7. 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
8. Juice of 1 lemon
9. 2 tablespoon olive oil
10. 2 bunches Romaine Lettuce hearts, roughly chopped
11. 1.5-2 cups croutons (you can make your own, but I usually just use store-bought)
12. 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a Food Processor: Combine ingredients 1-6 in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to break things up a bit.  With the motor running, slowly drizzle oil into the mixture until a thick emulsion begins to form.  Go slowly at first; you can add the oil in more quickly once the emulsion begins to stabilize.

Using an Immersion Blender:  An Immersion Blender makes for easier clean-up.  Find a cup the bottom of which is the same size as the head of your immersion blender.  Combine ingredients 1-6 in the bottom of this cup and insert the head of the blender all the way to the bottom.  Pulse a couple of times to break things up.  With the motor running, slowly drizzle oil into the mixture until a thick emulsion begins to form.  Go slowly at first; you can add the oil in more quickly once the emulsion begins to stabilize.

Once emulsified, stir in olive oil.

Combine lettuce, croutons, and parmesan cheese a large salad or tossing bowl, season aggressively with fresh ground black pepper, and mix well.  Add desired amount of dressing to salad and toss well.

Note: If you want to skip the whole food-processor/immersion blender thing, just mix ingredients 2-8 with ¼ cup mayo, and the results will still be amazing – all you’re doing with the egg and oil is making your own mayo!

STEP THREE: MAKE THE MEATBALLS

Ingredients: Meatballs 

1. 2 lbs ground meat (I like 1lb each beef and pork) + Panade (below) + Aromatics (below)
2. 2 eggs
3. 1/2 cup heavy cream
4. 1 cup panko 
5. 1 tsp kosher salt 
6. Umami Bomb – at least three of the following, smushed together in a small bowl:
   • 1 tablespoon miso paste
   • 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
   • 1 tablespoon soy or Worcestershire sauce
   • 1 head roasted garlic, squeezed
   • 1 teaspoon MSG
7. Around 2 tablespoons-ish parsley, finely chopped 
8. 4 -6 cloves garlic, grated, pressed, or finely minced (use fresh here)
9. 1 teaspoon Oregano 
10. 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg 
11. 1 teaspoon Thyme 
12. 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes 
13. 1/2 teaspoon Orange Zest (optional)
14. 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Cotija Cheese 
15. Torn basil, for garnish
16. 1lb Spaghetti Noodles, for serving along with the sauce and meatballs

Instructions: Meatballs

1. Mix panade ingredients (eggs, heavy cream, panko, & umami bomb) together and let sit for 20 or so minutes while you prep everything else. It’ll start soupy, but ultimately after the breadcrumbs absorb the liquid it’ll be more like a paste 
2. Mix aromatics together in a small bowl: parsley, grated garlic, oregano, nutmeg, thyme, red pepper flakes, orange zest (if using), parmesan cheese
3. Once panade is nice and pasty and breadcrumbs have absorbed most of the liquid (should have the consistency of porridge or cream-of-wheat), Mix the ground beef/pork, aromatics, and panade together in a large bowl by hand. Make sure everything is well mixed, but try not to overmix too much. Form into meatballs; I like mine big but go for whatever size makes you happy 
4. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray (or drizzle with oil) – line with aluminum foil for easy clean up
5. Place meatballs in the fridge to tighten up for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours.

STEP FOUR: GET THE MARINARA SAUCE GOING

While your meatballs are resting in the fridge, get the tomato sauce going:

Ingredients: Marinara Sauce 

1. 1/4 cup olive oil, or however much you need to coat the bottom of the pan you’re using 
2. 2 large shallots or 1 onion, finely minced.
3. 5-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced longwise
4. Basil sprig 
5. Thyme sprig 
6. Bay leaf 
7. Oregano sprig 
8. Pinch Chile flakes 
9. Orange peel
10. 1 6oz can tomato paste
11. Umami Bomb – at least three of the following, smushed together in a small bowl:
    • 1 tablespoon miso paste
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire or Soy Sauce
    • 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
    • 1 teaspoon MSG
    • 1 head of roasted garlic, squeezed
12. Whole plum tomatoes (28oz can) 

Instructions: Tomato Sauce

1. Put all ingredients except tomatoes, tomato paste, and Umami Bomb (so, that’s ingredients 1-9) into a cold pot or sauté pan 
2. Turn heat on to medium-low. You want to bring all the ingredients up to temp SLOWLY to infuse the oil, but you don’t want stuff to brown too much 
3. Once oil is infused and things are sizzling gently (15 or so minutes), add your tomato paste and umami bomb, and sauté until well incorporated.
4. Crush whole tomatoes by hand, and add to the pot 
5. Fill empty can half way with water and slosh around to capture juices and add to the pot 
6. Stir, and allow to simmer on low, stirring occasionally and adding a little water here and there as needed – this is a “Sunday Sauce” so let simmer as long as you like.

Cook

1. Preheat oven to 500°F
2. Get your meatballs out of the fridge, and place in 500°F oven for 3-5 minutes until browned
3. Remove from oven; add to sauce and reduce sauce to low heat, so that only the occasional bubble is coming to the surface
4. Allow meatballs to cook through, a minimum of 1 hour, but up to 4 hours – again, this is a “Sunday Sauce”
5. Meanwhile, about 20 minutes before you’re ready to eat, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt aggressively with kosher salt. Add spaghetti noodles and cook about 1 minute short of the package directions
6. While spaghetti is cooking, remove meatballs from the sauce; set aside and cover loosely with aluminum foil
7. Just before noodles are finished, use a coffee mug or other container to scoop out approximately ½ cup of the pasta water
8. Drain pasta through a colander or other strainer, set aside

STEP FIVE: TIME TO MAKE GARLIC BREAD!

After draining the pasta, but before the finally assembly, make your garlic bread:

Ingredients

1. 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), softened at room temperature
2. Approximately ¼ cup mayo (trust me)
3. ½ teaspoon (about a three-finger pinch) of Kosher Salt
4. ¼ teaspoon celery salt (optional)
5. 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely minced (or 1 tablespoon dried)
6. 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
7. ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
8. 5 (or more) cloves garlic, grated on a Microplane
9. 1 loaf crusty French bread (or Ciabatta – pictured – or whatever you’ve got laying around)
10. Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon or Himalayan Pink Salt) for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 500°F
2. Cut your loaf of garlic bread (or rolls, or whatever you’re using) in half lengthwise
3. Using a spatula or large spoon, Mix ingredients 1 – 6 together in a medium bowl until well combined
4. Spread garlic spread all over bread, cut side up, careful not to neglect the edges
5. Spray a cookie sheet with baking spray, or grease it well
6. Place bread, spread side up, on the cookie sheet
7. Bake garlic bread until toasty and golden brown – about 4-6 minutes. (Note: Watch it like a f*cking hawk – once it begins to brown, it’ll go from perfect to incinerated in like 1/2 a second – this is not the time to walk away or try to go do dishes or something!)
8. Sprinkle with flaky salt while still warm

STEP SIX: PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

1. Add a splash of your reserved pasta water to the bottom of the pot you cooked the spaghetti in, and return spaghetti to the pot
2. Ladle about half the sauce into the pot with the spaghetti noodles, and, add pasta water, a few splashes at a time (you will probably not need all of it). Using tongs, stir and shake aggressively until the sauce begins to cling to the noodles.
3. Using tongs, retrieve noodles from the pot and plate, swirling as you do so to create a nice nest of pasta.
4. Top with a few meatballs, extra sauce, torn basil, and a healthy grating of fresh parmesan cheese.
5. Serve Salad and Garlic Bread at the table with additional Parm

STEP 7: SERVE YOUR CRÈME BRÛLÉE

1. When ready to serve, sprinkle a dusting (about 2 tablespoons) of sugar over the tops of the custard in the ramekins
2. Using a torch, scald the sugar on top. Or, if you don’t have a torch, pop the ramekins directly under the broiler in your oven – watch them like a hawk to make sure they’re an amber, golden brown – not burned
3. Top with whipped cream, if desired