For a unique weeknight meal option, try this special chitarra pasta dish — with or without meat

This isn't a traditional Italian dish, but when your favorite TV program is The Sopranos then you're always going to want to cook and eat Italian-American style, just like Tony did. I love food that can be shared by simply placing the cooking pot in the center of the dinner table – easy-going, generous, convivial food. The fresh green peppercorns are optional, but I urge you to buy a jar as they make the meatballs extra addictive.

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Pasta Masterclass by Mateo Zielonka (Photo courtesy of Dave Brown)

Ingredients

400g/14oz chitarra (page 100) [in the book]

For the tomato sauce:

60ml/4 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 x 400g/14oz cans of plum or chopped tomatoes

For the meatballs:

400g/14oz minced (ground) pork

400g/14oz minced (ground) beef

100g/3½oz stale bread, toasted (or use the pangrattato on page 248 [in the book], or Japanese panko breadcrumbs)

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 medium shallots, peeled and roughly chopped

roughly chopped bunch of parsley

30g/1oz fresh green peppercorns in brine (optional)

1 egg

50g/2oz Parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve

1 tsp table salt

Vegetarian option:

Use the meatless meatballs on page 247

Directions

For the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the garlic and fry for a minute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, then cook on a low heat for 35–40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the toasted stale bread in the bowl of a food processor and whizz to fine breadcrumbs (don't worry about a few crusty chunks). Add the garlic, shallots, parsley and peppercorns and blend again to create a paste. Transfer this mixture to a bowl along with both meats, the egg, Parmesan and salt. Mix to combine.

Preheat the oven to 190°C fan/410°F/gas mark 6.

Now form your meatballs. Aim for the size of a whole walnut, but weigh the first one – it should be 25g/1oz – to give you about 40 small meatballs. Place them on a large baking sheet lined with baking parchment.

Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes, then drop them into the tomato sauce and set over a very low heat. (If you decide that 40 meatballs is too many, cool then freeze a dozen of them on a flat tray before transferring to a suitable container for use another time.)

Bring a large pan of water to the boil before adding a generous amount of table salt. Drop the pasta into the water and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the chitarra to the pan of sauce using tongs. Gently mix everything together, adding a splash of pasta water to loosen if needed. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve by placing the pot in the centre of the table along with a chunk of Parmesan, a fresh green salad and some cold beers.

Every food culture seems to have a version of meatballs, whether it's Polish klopsiki, Turkish, Greek and Middle Eastern kofta or Japanese tsukune. This meatless version is based on a Puglian recipe that I got from my friend Luciana; when I tried them at work they proved to be really popular – but then who wouldn't like this hot, oily, flavorful snack?

You can mix up the herbs if you like: try half parsley and half mint for a hint of freshness. And use day-old bread if you can – I like a plain tin loaf – but if the bread is older than that, and very stale, then substitute one egg with 50ml/2 tablespoons of milk and soak the bread in the milk for 5 minutes before making.

Ingredients

250g/9oz soft white bread, crusts cut off

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 garlic clove, grated

bunch of parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped

grated zest of 1 lemon

50g/2oz Parmesan, finely grated

vegetable oil, to deep fry

Directions

Place the soft bread in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you have rough breadcrumbs (keep the crusts to make breadcrumbs for pangrattato, page 248 [in the book]). Transfer the breadcrumbs to a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon or use your hands to bring everything together – the consistency will be something like stiff mashed potato. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

It's best to work with slightly damp hands to avoid the mixture sticking to them. Roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls and place them on a clean tray until you have around 24 lined up.

Use a medium, deep-sided saucepan to fry in batches. Depending on the size of the pan, you will need around 5cm/2in of oil to make sure the balls are covered. Gently heat the oil until a cube of bread sizzles and bubbles when it's dropped in – or use a jam thermometer to check the temperature – it should be between 160/320°F and 170°C/340°F.

Fry the balls, turning them with a slotted spoon until they are golden brown all over. Lift them out onto a plate lined with kitchen paper and fry the next batch.

Excerpted with permission from Pasta Masterclass by Mateo Zielonka published by Quadrille Publishing, May 2023

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