Ingredients
The following ingredients have 6 Servings
- 1 pound 80% lean ground beef or 1/2 pound ground sirloin and 1/2 pound ground pork
- Kosher salt
- 2 large cloves garlic
- grated or finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon (1/3 palmful) fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon (1/3 palmful) crushed red pepper flakes
- About 1/4 cup (a healthy handful) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- About 1/4 cup (a healthy handful) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 3 slices stale bread
- crusts trimmed and crumbled into crumbs
- Milk
- to soak bread
- 1 egg
- lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon (1/3 palmful) dried oregano
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley
- finely chopped
- A fat drizzle of good-quality EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- About 3 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 to 3 anchovy filets (optional)
- 1 small onion
- finely chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic
- grated or finely chopped
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 4 12- to 14-ounce cans or 2 28-ounce jars peeled
- Italian cherry tomatoes or 2 28-ounce cans peeled
- San Marzano tomatoes
- A few leaves of basil
- torn
- 1 large bunch broccoli rabe/rapini
- trimmed
- Salt
- 1 pound/500 grams penne rigate pasta
- 1 pound Fior di Latte/fresh mozzarella
- thinly sliced
Instruction
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- For the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine meat with salt, garlic, fennel, red pepper flakes, grated cheeses, soaked breadcrumbs, beaten egg, oregano, parsley and EVOO
- Roll small (1 1/2-inch in diameter) meatballs and arrange on a large parchment-lined baking sheet
- Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned
- For the sauce, heat a large pot or deep skillet over medium heat with EVOO, 3 turns of the pan
- Add anchovies, if using, and melt them into the oil
- Add onions and garlic, and cook to soften for 3-5 minutes
- Add stock or water and bring to boil, reduce heat back to medium and let the liquid almost completely absorb, 7-8 minutes
- Add tomatoes and break them up with a spoon
- Add torn basil and let sauce simmer 30 minutes
- Adjust salt to taste
- While the sauce simmers, bring a few inches of water to a boil in a deep skillet
- Salt water and cook broccoli rabe 5 minutes; transfer to an ice water bath with tongs or a spider to cold-shock
- Drain, dry and coarsely chop
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the penne
- Salt water generously and add pasta; cook 5 minutes
- Drain and rinse pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process
- Add pasta back to pot and toss with sauce, meatballs and rapini/broccoli rabe
- Transfer to baking dish and top with sliced mozzarella cheese
- (If making this dish ahead, cover and store in fridge or freezer
- Bring pasta to room temperature before baking
- ) Bake pasta until bubbly and brown on top, about 30-40 minutes
