PEPPERONI MEATBALLS SPAGHETTI

Ingredients

THE MEATBALLS:
• 1 cup diced (150 grams) pepperoni sausage
• 1/4 cup (1 small handful) parsley leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/2 medium-size onion, cut into chunks
• 400 grams ground beef
• 280 grams ground pork
• 3/4 cup (50 grams) Japanese panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup (50 grams) grated parmigiano cheese
• 1 tsp ground cayenne
• 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
• 1 tsp ground paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
THE SAUCE:
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small celery stalk, finely diced
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• 1200 grams (three 400 grams cans) peeled Italian tomatoes, pureed in a blender
• 3" parmigiano cheese rind
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 tbsp chili flakes
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• Chopped parsley leaves

Instructions

1. TO MAKE THE MEATBALLS: Preheat the oven top-broiler on high. Run diced pepperoni, parsley leaves, garlics and onion in a food-processor until they resemble chunky, coarse meals. Transfer to a bowl along with ground beef, ground pork, panko breadcrumbs, grated parmigiano cheese, ground cayenne, crushed fennel seeds, ground paprika, salt and black pepper. Gently mix just until even, then shape the mixture into 8 tightly packed meatballs and place on a parchment-lined baking-sheet. Place in the middle-rack in the oven and toast until golden browned on all sides (flipping once). Set aside.
2. TO MAKE SAUCE: In a large pot, cook extra virgin olive oil, chopped onion, garlic, celery stalk, fresh thyme and tomato paste with a generous pinch of salt over medium-high heat, until the onion is soft and the tomato paste starts to brown on the sides of the pot. Add dry red wine and cook for 5~6 min until almost completely evaporated. Then add the purreed tomatoes, parmigiano cheese rind, bay leaves, chili flakes, honey, ground black pepper, and all the browned meatballs with all the juice and dripping.
3. Bring to a simmer then turn the heat to low, cover the pot with just a small slit for steam to escape, and let simmer for 2 hours until the liquid has reduced by 1/3. You should give it a gentle stir once every 20~30 min to prevent burning on the bottom. Re-season it along the way with salt if needed. The stew can be made days ahead. Before serving, gently mix the Dijon mustard into the sauce.
4. TO SERVE: Cook 500 grams of dried spaghetti a couple min BEFORE al dente. Drain and transfer to a large pot, then add enough sauce to generously cover the spaghetti. Cook for another 2 min until the sauce is slightly reduced and coating every pasta, then transfer to a serving plate with the meatballs on top. Scatter more chopped parsley and a generous amount of grated parmigiano cheese. Serve immediately.