MEXICAN SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS
Spicy tomato-chile sauce takes spaghetti on a trip around the world in this hearty Tex-Mex-meets-Spain one-skillet meal.
Fideos, ultra-thin Spanish noodles, are a great choice if you can find them; we opted for more common vermicelli here.
1 pound meatloaf mix (ground pork, veal, and beef)
!/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 large egg
1 tablespoon chile powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
8 ounces vermicelli noodles, broken in half
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1z cup crumbled queso fresco (about 2 ounces)
!/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
MAKE THE MEATBALLS:
Gently mix the meat, bread crumbs, egg, 2 teaspoons of the chile powder, 1 teaspoon of the oregano, l/2 teaspoon salt,
and a couple turns of pepper. Form heaping tablespoons into about 24 meatballs.
FRY THE MEATBALLS:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
When hot, pour in 2 tablespoons of the oil.
Add half the meatballs and cook, turning often, to brown all sides, about 5 minutes.
Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Add 1 more tablespoon of the oil and repeat with the rest of the meatballs.
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22 THE CHOPPED COOKBOOK