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Spaghetti with Calamari Meatballs

From Reed Hearon, Rose Pistola, San Francisco, CA

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SPAGHETTI WITH CALAMARI MEATBALLS

.... Serves 6

• One-third cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 and one-half white onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, bruised
• 2 fresh sprigs marjoram
• One-half cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon harissa
• 14 anchovy fillets
• 1 pound calamari tubes and tentacles, tubes cut into rings
• One-quarter pound pancetta, cut into small cubes
• 1 egg white
• One-half cup bread crumbs
• Three-fourths teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup dry Italian white wine
• 1 cup tomato puree made from processing canned drained peeled whole tomatoes or fresh peeled whole tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons calamari ink
• 1 cup pasta water
• 1 pound dry spaghetti

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Saute 1 onion, 1 garlic clove, 1 sprig marjoram, one-quarter cup parsley, 1 tablespoon harissa, and 10 anchovy fillets until the onion becomes translucent. Let cool and remove the marjoram sprig. Pulse the calamari and the pancetta in small batches in a food processor. Add the egg white and pulse again to mix. Place the mixture in a bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, salt and cooled onion mixture. Form into golf ball sized balls (using 2 soup spoons to do so works well). Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and brown the calamari balls (add more olive oil if needed). You do not need to cook them all the way through as they will finish cooking in the sauce.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Saute one-half onion, 1 garlic clove, 1 sprig marjoram, one-quarter cup parsley, 1 tablespoon harissa and 4 anchovy fillets until the onion becomes translucent. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add 2 cups tomato puree and stir well. Dilute the calamari ink with the pasta water and stir into the sauce.

Add the calamari balls to the sauce and simmer for about one-half hour. Taste for seasoning.

Bring a large pot of boiling salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until almost al dente, about 8 minutes. Bring the meatballs back to a simmer, add the spaghetti and let simmer over medium high heat in the sauce until the pasta is done and the sauce has reduced enough to coat the noodles.

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