This is an old-school pasta cooked a new-school way. Grilling the pasta makes it entirely new, adding a smoky flavor and the occasional browned crunchy bit of pasta, which is delicious. For my Harvest Dinner, because I was cooking pasta for 100 people, I vac-packed the meatballs the night before the party. I've given instructions for this method of cooking for those of you who have vac-pack equipment; it's a great way to cook for a crowd. Don't worry if you don't have sous-vide equipment or a vac-packer; we've also included steps for cooking meatballs the usual way. This recipe makes a lot of meatballs. You can halve it if you like; I never mind having some meatballs in my fridge the next day.
Ingredients
Serves 8 as a first course
Step 1
In a large bowl, mix together the meat, eggs, cheese, parsley, oregano, basil, onion, bread crumbs, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of the water. Knead the water into the meat mixture with your hands. Knead and form meatballs into about 1 1/2-inch balls with a 2-ounce scoop (see Chef's Note) or roll into balls with your hands.
Step 2
VAC-PACKED COOKING METHOD: Seal the meatballs with just a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil and cook them in 130°F water for 35 minutes.
Step 3
OLD-WORLD COOKING METHOD: Place the meatballs in a large saucepan or skillet on the stove (use 2 pans if they don't all fit in a single pan), add 1/2 cup of the water over them (1/2 cup water to each pan if using 2 pans), and cover. Steam the meatballs over medium heat for about 25 minutes. Transfer to a platter and refrigerate until you're ready to grill them.
Step 4
Turn a gas grill to high or ignite charcoal. When the grill is hot, for both gas and charcoal grills, clean your grill rack. Decrease the temperature to medium-high (on a gas grill only), and brush or wipe a little olive oil on the grill rack.
Step 5
In batches, grill the meatballs in a cast-iron pan or plancha on the grill until they're well-browned all the way around, 4 minutes total for the vac-packed meatballs and about 6 minutes total for the pan-cooked meatballs. Remove from the heat and reserve.
Step 6
Fill a large pot with about 5 quarts of water, add the kosher salt, and bring to a boil over high heat on your stove. Add the pasta and cook until just al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
Step 7
Spread the pasta on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, so it won't stick together.
Step 8
Lightly oil a long, flat grill basket or spritz with nonstick cooking spray. With tongs, add half the pasta to the basket, arranging it in a thin even layer. (If you have two grill baskets, cook both batches of pasta at once.) Place the basket on a rack over hot coals and turn frequently, until the pasta turns a golden color. You'll hear it crackling during grilling.
Step 9
Empty the grill basket into a large heat-proof bowl. Toss the pasta with 1 to 2 cups of Grilled Tomato Sauce. If it needs some moisture, add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and toss again. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of the pecorino cheese. Toss. Transfer to a serving bowl, top with the remaining pecorino cheese, and serve immediately.
It's so much faster to make a meatball with a scoop than with your hands. Scoops make such quick work of certain tasks—shaping meatballs, gougéres, or cookie dough, for example—that I keep a variety of scoop sizes at home as well as at work. If you don't have a 2-ounce scoop for the meatballs, try using a 1/4-cup measure instead. You'll find scoops in most restaurant-supply stores or cookware stores.
