Lidia's Eggplant and Meatball Tagliatelle
actually, its linguine.
Time for a quick history lesson. What is Tagliatelle? I am offending Italians by using linguine here, but my store was out of Tagliatelle. I know.
Tagliatelle is not the method or name of the dish. Tagliatelle is a pasta. It’s different from linguine, fettuccini, or spaghetti.
Straight from DeLallo’s website: “Tagliatelle pasta is a treasured pasta of Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Made with semolina flour, and sometimes egg, Tagliatelle is a long, flat ribbon-like pasta like Fettuccine—only thinner. Traditionally, Tagliatelle pasta is formed by rolling out sheets of pasta dough and then cutting this dough by-hand into long, thin noodles. This is most likely where it gets its name, from the word tagliare, meaning “to cut.”
There you go. Now you know. Here, this dish should actually be named “ Eggplant and Meatball Linguine”.
Yet, next time… because there will be a next time… I will be using Tagliatelle. Making it by hand, hopefully. :)
The best part about this recipe? Because the sauce makes so much, she has you store half of it for another time. I have it in my freezer right now and will be using it for a recipe next week. Hello, time saver!
Before we get to the recipe, let’s talk about a few adjustments I made.
READ BEFORE MAKING:
*Starting with the tomatoes, instead of using a 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, I used half crushed tomatoes and half canned cherry tomatoes. The reason for this is cherry tomatoes have a higher sugar content, yielding a sweeter flavor. I wanted to make sure I was able to achieve a hint of sweetness without adding sugar. The cherry tomatoes are key to this. If you can’t find them at your local store, order them on amazon! It is worth it.
*For the meat, I used half pork and half ground beef. You can totally use all ground beef here! I like adding pork to meatballs because pork has a higher fat content creating more flavor and a more tender meatball.
*For the seasonings, I ended up adjusting the amount of salt she calls for. Oh, and pepper. Salt and pepper are needed. I will be adding all of these adjustments to the recipe.
Other than that, this recipe is deliziosa!
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eggplant and meatball tagliatelle
Makes 3 quarts, enough for 3 pounds of pasta.
Ingredients:
MEATBALLS
l pound ground chuck *see note above
½ cup finely chopped onion
2 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmesan ( I used Asiago)
½ cup fine dried breadcrumbs such as panko
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
I teaspoon kosher salt
SAUCE AND PASTA
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
I medium Italian eggplant, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 28 oz can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes *see note above
Kosher salt for the pot
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
I pound tagliatelle
1/4 loosely packed cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup grated Grana Padano or parmesan
Instructions:
For the meatballs: Combine all of the listed ingredients in a large bowl, and mix well. Form into 1- inch meatballs and place on a sheet pan.
For the sauce:
In a large straight-sided skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic. Once the garlic is sizzling, add the eggplant. Brown the eggplant on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, then add the tomatoes. Slosh out the cans with 1 cup of pasta water, and add it to the skillet. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook until eggplant is almost tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the meatballs (raw), and continue simmering until the meat is cooked through, about 20 minutes more.
In the meantime, bring to a boil a large pot of salted water to cook the pasta While the pasta cooks transfer half of the meatballs and sauce to a container, to freeze or refrigerate for another time, leaving half of the sauce and meatballs simmer-ing in the skillet. When the pasta is al dente, transfer it to the sauce with tongs, and sprinkle with the basil. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce, adding a little pasta water if the sauce seems too thick. Remove the skillet from the heat, toss in the grated cheese, and serve.
QUICK TIP
To make a serving for six, use half of the sauce and meatballs with 1 pound of dry or fresh fettuccine. Don't forget the fresh basil and grated parm!
recipe inspired by Lidia Bastianich.