Tuna Meatballs

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3/4 cup bread cubes (from stale baguette)
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 lbs tuna, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 ounces pancetta, finely diced (1/4 cup)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 4 cups tomato sauce
• 1 lb spaghetti

Recipe

• 1 soak bread in milk in small bowl for 30 minutes. place work bowl and blade of food processor in freezer.
• 2 heat 2 tablespoons of oil in medium pan over medium heat. add garlic and stir occasionally until translucent, about 3 minutes. set pan aside to cool.
• 3 squeeze bread to remove excess milk, put in chilled food processor bowl with tuna and pancetta. pulse until just coarsely ground and combined. refrigerate briefly. add garlic and its oil, 2 tablespoons water, egg, parsley and red-pepper flakes. season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grindings of pepper. lightly but thoroughly mix with hands.
• 4 make a small meatball and sauté in a bit of oil over medium-high heat to taste for seasoning. adjusting seasonings if necessary.
• 5 heat sauce in a 6-quart pot over low heat.
• 6 with moistened hands, form 20 meatballs, each about 1 3/4 inch in diameter (about 1 1/2 ounces). heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in pan on medium high until hot but not smoking. cook meatballs in batches until well browned all around, 6 to 8 minutes. when done, transfer to sauce with slotted spoon. when all the meatballs are in sauce, partially cover pot and gently simmer for 1 hour, stirring carefully occasionally.
• 7 bring large pot of salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti until almost al dente. drain and serve in bowl with sauce and meatballs spooned over.