Spaghetti and Meat, Italian Style And Eliza Swims

It’s been a while since we’ve had spaghetti and meatballs and when Eliza brought her family down it seemed like a good opportunity.  We had some homemade meatballs in the freezer but no Italian sausage so I used TPO (tomato, pepper, onion) from the Wurst Kitchen.  The menu included bread with EVOO & balsamic vinegar, then panzanella, then pasta and finally dessert.

For the first course, we used sliced French bread with EVOO that we bought in Italy, white infused balsamic vinegar from California and brown Italian balsamic vinegar which we discovered in Italy and bought in the US.  We served it with my go-to Valdo Prosecco. 

For the panzanella, I once again made ¾ of the recipe from Ina Garten.  Also accompanied with prosecco which we used for a toast.

The previous day, I thawed and baked the meatballs and sausage in a 400F oven then for the meal, I added them to the Rao’s Marinara that we used for the sauce.

The reason for even posting about spaghetti and meat was how it was served.  We always serve it from the stove into the individual dish but today, I served it on a platter for the first time along with bowls of sauce, extra meat, and grated parmesan.

With the spaghetti, we served Brunello di Montalcino which is rated as the first or second best Italian red wine. 

Then we finished off the meal with a delicious Wende-made Tiramisu.

And last but not least was a shot of Limoncello that we brought from our trip to Italy.  We’ve already drank all of my homemade version and more will be made soon.

The Verdict:

The consensus was that it was a great visit.  The food was all good, the sausage got high marks, and while serving the pasta on a platter makes for a nice picture, I think we like serving from the stove into bowls better.  The wine was all very good and complimented the food well.  As for Wende’s tiramisu, it was outstanding and the star of the meal - I think you should be asking for her recipe.

Before the meal, Eliza and her dad took their first dip in the lake this year.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/29/25 event date