Pappardelle with Pork and Veal Meatballs

Once you've mastered the art of pasta making, the possibilities are endless. With one easy basic recipe you can make a wide range of pasta, anything from linguine, tagliatelle, ravioli, lasagna, and of course parpardelle, a wide cut fettuccine pasta. Simply follow the tutorial below for the pasta (March 24, 2010 post). Once the pasta dough has been finely rolled out, you can proceed to roll up the dough into cylinders and cut 1" strips to form you parpadelle.  Although parpardelle are traditionally served with a boar ragu, I  tossed mine in a simple marinara sauce, and served  pork and veal meatballs. Below you will also find the recipe for my mother's traditional Italian meatballs ( April 16, 2010 post) http://annastable.blogspot.ca/2010/04/moms-meatballs.html

Homemade Pasta:

4 Cups of all purpose flour
6 large eggs








Place the flour on a clean surface (a counter or large wooden board). Make a well in the center of the flour. Break the eggs into the well and lightly beat with a fork. Start incorporating the flour a little at a time. Continue blending in the flour with your fingertips. The amount of flour used will depend on the size of eggs and humidity. You may not need all the flour.
Remove excess flour from the work surface and start kneading your dough on this lightly floured area. Knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let stand for at least 30 minutes or more.


Roll out the dough into a 9 inch disk and cut into 6 pieces. I start my machine at #6 and roll each piece. I then lower it to #4 and roll the dough pieces once again. Continue this process until #1, which will give you a thin dough. Roll the strip of dough into a cylinder and cut 3/4" to 1" strips.

Place the strips on a clean cloth or a work surface light dusted with flour and allow to dry before cooking in salted boiling water.  The pasta also freezes well for later use.

my family's original meatball recipe!

Ingredients:
1 lb. minced veal
1/2 lb. minced pork
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
handful fresh Italian parsley
2 eggs
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
pepper

In a mixing bowl, add the ground pork, veal, garlic, bread crumbs and eggs. Season with the salt and pepper. Mix with your hands and form into balls. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake in a pre-heated 375 degrees F oven for about 15 minutes. The meatballs can also be fried. Turn the meatballs and continue cooking for an In either case, cook until golden brown.additional 10 minutes, again until golden brown. You can reduce the cooking time if the meatballs are to be added to a simmering tomato marinara sauce. This will ensure that the meat is fully cooked and infused with your delicious sauce.