Spaghetti All'Amatriciana - January's Cover Girl Dinner

On June 1, 1907, a 20-year-old young woman was left at Battery Park. It was damp and and an all-time low temperature of 28 degrees F would be posted for that late spring evening. Possibly illiterate, speaking no English and in peasant garb, she had few possessions. She clutched a piece of paper in her hand that said: "Francesco Laviano, 30 Thompson Street." Francesco did not meet her at Ellis island. The powers-that-be sent her alone into Manhattan. She stopped a couple and showed them the address in her hand. "Scusi...." They pointed at her and laughed and went on their merry way. So began my grandmother's first day in America.
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After an emotional week of digging through records, arguing about the age of my grandmother and nagging my mother, I decided that an exact age wasn't important. What was and is important is the humanity in my heritage - in your heritage. What shaped us. What continues to be with us.
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Why I decided on the spur of the moment to cook the "Cover Girl Dinner" at the end of the week is beyond me. Perhaps because the cover recipe for Bon Appetit was spaghetti and meatballs in a spicy, smoky tomato sauce. The kind of sauce that my family has been making for generations. My thru-line.

I'll start with the dessert - because it didn't come out. In-between combining the 47 ingredients needed for the meatballs (yes, I exaggerate - but just a tad), I made a ricotta pound cake. Simple and not too heavy. It fell. In the middle. Around the time I was browning 72 meatballs (and that is no exaggeration), I watched my ricotta pound cake cave in. I combined some blueberries I had frozen last July with a little sugar and dumped it over the cave-in spot. I then moved it so I wouldn't have to look at it. I knew I would serve it.
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Meanwhile, I am pureeing tomatoes, browning meatballs, adding a little bit of garlic and a touch of marjoran. I am fierce. I am my grandmother - only five inches taller. Three hours later, I am tired. Appetizers would be thrown together. These biscuits are at my grocers. Raisins, almonds and a spicy cracker base - perfect for a tangy cheese.


I mindlessly eat a couple as I make a small cheese torte.

Try them - they are sweet, spicy, tangy, chewy, crispy delectables.

I combined leftover goat cheese with leftover mascarpone (oh how I threw this dinner together). I put half into a small ramekin, topped it with some olive tapenade and covered it with the other half of the cheese. And put it into the fridge to set.

I threw together some lettuces, toasted some pecans, sauteed a pear and combined it all. A little bit of Minnesota's own Northern Lights blue cheese was crumbled on top for the salad. Grandma and Grandpa liked their fruits and cheeses. A tbl of white balsamic with a few tbls of olive oil and the salad was set.

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One hour later, the cheese was served and demolished. Cracker bag lays empty. Salad's on the table being a temptress and the dishes of spaghetti went out.

The 47-ingredient meatball was worth the time, the forming, the browning, the simmering. Grandma smiled. Ladies and gentleman, I bring you Bon Appetit's Spaghetti All'Amatriciana. Find the recipe here. It was worth every stir.

Spicy without being instrusive, smoky, tomato-sweet, herb-infused meatballs. Harmony. On the plate and on your palette. Dancing in synch.

I'm digging out a forkful for you. Trust me, after this dish, you wouldn't care what the ricotta pound cake looked like.

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Last year's New Year's resolution was to make the cover recipe of Bon Appeit each month - no matter what. It was such a success, it continues. I do not know if I should stick with Bon Appetit only. Add a new magazine or add a host of magazines? What do you think?