Pasta, basil, and tomatoes with a simple drizzle of olive oil to me is the simplest dish, yet so tasty and comforting. To me, Italian food is comfort food. Nothing is more heart warming than pasta and a yummy glass of red wine.
My mom has made a killer spaghetti since I can remember, and when I got married she shared the recipe with me. I have only made a few minor changes over the numerous times I have made this dish, and it has pleased even the pickiest of eaters I have served it to. It is so simple to create yet, tastes so wonderful. Plus, it simmers for three hours, so the whole house smells like an Italian kitchen, just divine!
Typically, I open up an Italian wine to serve with the meal, but I wanted to mix things up this last time. A sangviovese based wine is always a winner with any tomato based dish, which is what I usually reach for, since it also happens to be one of my favorite grapes, but an Arizona wine caught my attention.
On my recent trip to Page Springs Cellars, I purchased a wonderful red wine blend. Syrah makes of most of the blend, with Grenache, Mourvedre, and Petite Sirah. Not something I typically would go for with spaghetti and meatballs, but the wine was heavy on Syrah and Syrah loves tomatoes as well. Plus, I had already tasted the wine in the tasting room and suspected it would be a winner with my mom's sauce.
And boy am I glad I popped open that wine. It was absolutely perfect with the meal. Magic Pairing. It was just as good, if not better than any Italian wine I have served with the spaghetti. And I bought this wine, so you there is no reason for me to be bias here, besides the fact that you already know I love Arizona wine.
The heavy kick of Syrah was a lovely balance with the tomatoes and the herbal component to the sauce. And the mushrooms really stood out, which sometimes that can fade away, but the Syrah really highlighted them terrifically. The Petite Sirah gave the wine a great balance as well as a heavy kick in the pants. I am a big fan of Petite Sirah in blends, since it is a heavy hitter wine, is can really add a great depth to wine when blended in correctly. The grenache really rounded out the wine and gave it a wonderful silky and creamy finish that I really enjoyed with the sauce. Since I also like pepper, I appreciated the fact that the Mouvedre added to the spice level and highlighted the extra pepper that I always dash into my meatballs. An overall wonderful dining experience.
This is a big wine, but with soft curves. I can see it going with a number of foods ranging from my spaghetti and meatballs to a perfectly grilled burger. This would be an excellent grilling wine, as the smoke from the grill would complemented the smokey and dusty flavors in Arizona Syrah's. I recommend picking up this wine on your next trip to Page Springs Cellars and Vineyards. Or you may be able to find it at Total Wine, Phoenix Public Market, AJ's Fine Foods, and AZ Wine stores.
Now on to my mom's recipe and formal tasting notes!
Lusheous vanilla really stands out with some oak, and Arizona dust again. A wonderful ever changing long, long finish. I was impressed with this wine. Very pretty, round with soft tannins. This wine is feminine, and soft with a rock n' roll edge. I loved how the Syrah played around in this blend, very elegant and bold. And yes, yummy.
Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs
serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 LB sweet Italian Sausage (we use our homemade stuff)
2 28 oz cans of San Marzano tomatoes
1 medium onion sliced
1 TBS fresh basil and oregano sliced
1 spring rosemary minced
salt and pepper to taste
3 6 oz cans of Italian style organic tomato paste
5 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
3 fresh roma tomatoes diced
1 LB ground beef
1/2 LB sliced mushrooms of your choice
Directions:
1. Put sausage in a large skillet with about 1/2 inch of water. Cover and cook on medium heat until most of the water is gone. Remove lid and brown sausages on all sides. Remove from heat, cool, then cut into 3-4 pieces per link. Set aside.
2. Combine the ground beef, salt, pepper, rosemary and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Mix gently and form into meatballs. Set aside.
3. Put tomatoes, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, and fresh tomatoes in a blender. Blend until you reach your desired consistency. I like to leave it a little chunky. You will most likely have to do two batches.
4. Put the sauce from the blender into a large pot. Add the tomato paste, and heat to a boil. Add the meatballs to the hot sauce, carefully. Then add the sliced mushrooms and sausage. Reduce heat and simmer for three hours stirring every now that then, so the sauce does not burn on the bottom. During the last 30 minutes stir in the fresh basil and oregano.
Serve with fresh noodles, a glass of red wine, some crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
Thank you and enjoy!
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