Spaghetti Western: Italian American tradition inspires a fun fall dinner - Food & Entertaining; recipes

Sunset, Sept, 2003 by Charity Ferreira

Time-honored Italian American fare--thick sauces that cling to lanky strands of spaghetti, imbuing them with the concentrated flavors of tomato, olive oil, and garlic--is just the kind of food that everyone loves. It's also an important part of the West's culinary past and present, even if Cal-Ital modernism might seem to have taken over the high-end restaurant scene. But the real old-fashioned thing is just right for casual entertaining.

This hearty spaghetti dinner has authentic roots and flavor. Our earthy, flavorful porcini meat sauce is a variation on a family recipe from Blair Erigero of Stockton, California, whose grandparents brought the recipe when they came to San Francisco from Italy in the 1880s. Erigero remembers that his grandfather sent money home to relatives in Italy, and in return they sent big bags of dried wild mushrooms for his step-grandmother to use in the sauce. A batch of either this sauce or our savory roasted eggplant marinara serves 8 to 12; choose one for a party, or make both for a really big crowd. Either is delicious with tender, juicy meatballs, made from a recipe that three generations of the Gonnella family have served up at the Union Hotel in Occidental, California.

Round out the menu with toasted garlic bread, plenty of parmesan cheese and easygoing red wine, and a simple layered ice cream terrine with spumoni flavors, and you have a homey dinner that's perfect for a crisp fall evening.

Antipasti platter

Put together a family-style first course with three or four of these purchased or easily assembled items.

Canned kidney or white beans tossed with minced garlic and olive oil

Pepperoncini

Roasted bell pepper strips

Mozzarella cheese sticks

Rolled thinly sliced salami or mortadella

Rinsed, trimmed radishes

Olives

Roasted Eggplant
Marinara Sauce

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 1/2 hours

MAKES: About 12 cups, enough for
about 2 pounds spaghetti; 8 to 12
servings

    2 pounds eggplant, rinsed, ends
      trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch
      chunks

    2 tablespoons olive oil

    2 tablespoons minced garlic

      About 1/4 teaspoon salt

      About 1/4 teaspoon pepper

    2 onion (about 8 oz.), peeled
      and diced (1/4 in.)

    2 cans (28 oz. each) crushed
      or ground tomatoes

    2 teaspoons dried basil

  1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

  3/4 teaspoon hot chili flakes

1. In a 12- by 15-inch baking pan, mix
eggplant with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon
garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and
1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake in a 400[degrees] regular
or convection oven, stirring once,
until eggplant is browned and soft
when pierced, 30 to 35 minutes.

2. Pour remaining tablespoon oil into a
5- to 6-quart pan over medium heat.
When hot, add onion and remaining
2 tablespoons garlic. Stir frequently until
onion is very limp, 5 to 8 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano,
chili flakes, and roasted eggplant.
Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally,
until tomatoes have broken down
slightly and mixture is thick, 35 to 40
minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Per serving of sauce: 103 cal., 35% (36 cal.) from
fat; 3.1 g protein; 4 g fat (0.5 g sat.); 16 g carbo
(3.1 g fiber); 375 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Porcini Meat Sauce

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 3/4 hours

MAKES: About 12 cups, enough for
about 2 pounds spaghetti; 8 to 12
servings

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
    (about 1/3 cup)

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  2 pound ground veal or ground beef
    (sirloin)

  1 pound ground pork

  2 tablespoons chopped parsley

  1 tablespoon minced garlic

  3 cans (28 oz. each) crushed or
    ground tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

    About 1/4 teaspoon salt

    About 1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. In a small bowl, soak mushrooms in
1 cup hot water until soft, about 15
minutes. Gently rub under water to release
grit, then lift out (reserve liquid);
finely chop mushrooms.

2. Meanwhile, pour oil into a 6- to
8-quart pan over medium-high heat.
When hot, add veal, pork, parsley, and
garlic. Stir constantly, breaking meat
into small pieces, until browned, 5 to
8 minutes.

3. Stir in tomatoes, oregano, 1/4 teaspoon
salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and
mushrooms; carefully pour in reserved
soaking liquid, leaving grit behind.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover,
and simmer, stirring occasionally, until
tomatoes are broken down and sauce is
thick, about 1 1/2 hours. Add salt and
pepper to taste.

Per serving of sauce: 218 cal., 54% (117 cal.) from
fat; 16 g protein; 13 g fat (4.4 g sat.); 9.6 g carbo
(1.8 g fiber); 424 mg sodium; 58 mg chol.

Union Hotel
Grand Meatballs

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 40 minutes

NOTES: These savory meatballs complement
either of our spaghetti sauces.

MAKES: 25 meatballs; 8 to 12 servings

    3 large eggs

    3 tablespoons whole milk

1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch chunks sourdough
      French bread (crusts trimmed)

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (sirloin)

2 1/4 cups grated parmesan cheese

    2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

  3/4 teaspoon salt

  1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. In large bowl or the bowl of an electric
mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,
beat eggs and milk just to blend.
Stir in bread and let stand until soft,
about 10 minutes. Add ground beef,
cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper
and beat on low speed or mix until
well blended.

2. Gently shape mixture into 2-inch
bails; place meatballs about 1 inch
apart on a lightly oiled or foil-lined 14-by
16-inch baking sheet.

3. Bake in a 350[degrees] regular or convection
oven until no longer pink in the center
(cut to test), 20 to 25 minutes.

Per serving: 223 cat., 57% (126 cal.) from fat; 19 g
protein; 14 g fat (6.6 g sat.); 3.4 g carbo (0.1 g fiber);
501 mg sodium; 103 mg chol.

Sourdough Garlic Bread

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 10 minutes

NOTES: Pasquale Usorio, proprietor for
nearly four decades of Pasquale's
Pizzeria in San Francisco, makes a
crusty, potent garlic bread that regulars
swear by.

MAKES: 12 pieces

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup olive oil, 3
tablespoons minced or pressed garlic,
and 3 tablespoons chopped parsley.
Cut two 1/2-pound loaves of sourdough
French bread crosswise into thirds,
then cut each third in half horizontally.
Brush or spoon garlic mixture
generously on the cut side of each
piece. Sprinkle each piece with about
1/2 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese.
Place pieces (cheese side up) on baking
sheets and broil 8 inches from heat
until well browned, 3 to 4 minutes
each. Serve warm.

Per piece: 199 cal., 50% (99 cal.) from fat; 4.5 g
protein; 11 g fat (1.9 g sat.); 21 g carbo (1.1 g fiber);
278 mg sodium; 2 mg chol.

Spumoni Ice Cream Terrine

PREP TIME: About 30 minutes, plus at
least 9 hours to freeze

NOTES: As you're ready to use each kind
of ice cream, soften it in the microwave
on high power (100%) in 5-second intervals
just until soft enough to spread, but
not melting, 5 to 20 seconds.

MAKES: 10 to 12 servings

3 cups (1 1/2 pints) strawberry ice
  cream, softened (see notes)

3 cups (1 1/2 pints) pistachio or
  toasted almond ice cream, softened
  (see notes)

3 cups (1 1/2 pints) chocolate ice
  cream, softened (see notes)

1. Line a 7- by 9-inch loaf pan (9-cup
capacity) completely with two or
three pieces of plastic wrap, leaving
several inches of plastic overhanging
on all sides.

2. Spread strawberry ice cream in an
even layer in the bottom of lined pan;
freeze for 30 minutes. Spread pistachio
ice cream in an even layer over strawberry;
freeze for 30 minutes. Spread
chocolate ice cream in an even layer
over pistachio; cover with overhanging
plastic wrap and freeze until firm,
about 8 hours, or up to 1 week.

3. Unwrap terrine and invert pan over
a serving plate. Hold on to plastic
wrap and lift off pan. Remove plastic
wrap. Return to freezer for up to
2 hours, or serve at once. To serve,
cut terrine into 1-inch-thick slices (dip
knife in hot water and wipe dry between
each slice).

Per serving: 280 cal., 51% (144 cal.) from fat; 4.8 g
protein; 16 g fat (7.7 g sat.); 29 g carbo (0.2 g fiber);
85 mg sodium; 76 mg chol.