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Fabio Viviani

Spaghetti with meatballs
S16E2 Italian · 2018
Where to find them
● @fabioviviani

Fabio Viviani came to America with Top Chef Season 5, lost the finale, and somehow ended up with more visible career than the chef who won. Fifty-plus locations now. Restaurants, bars, virtual kitchens, the Siena Tavern flagship in Chicago.

He brought spaghetti and meatballs. Which against Bobby Flay is the equivalent of a Florentine chef bringing oxygen — it is the dish his entire country has been thinking about for centuries, and Bobby Flay is one man who has not been. The sauce was San Marzano cooked down with onion and garlic and finished with butter, the way an Italian grandmother does. The meatballs had the panade. The spaghetti was finished in the sauce, not next to it.

Bobby has spent thirty years cooking Italian-American food. Viviani has spent his life cooking Italian. The judges noticed the difference.

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Spaghetti with meatballs

25 min Prep
40 min Cook
4 Serves
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef (80/20 blend)
  • 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, finely ground
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 28 oz San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 lb spaghetti
  • Fresh basil, 8-10 leaves, torn by hand
Instructions
  1. Soak panko in milk for 2 minutes until fully hydrated. In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, soaked panko mixture, Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic, egg, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix gently with your hands for 30 seconds until just combined—do not overwork. Roll into 12 meatballs (about 1.5 oz each) and set aside on parchment paper.
  2. Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Working in batches, sear meatballs for 2-3 minutes per side until deep golden brown crust forms. Transfer to a plate; do not worry about cooking through.
  3. In the same skillet, add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add crushed San Marzano tomatoes and stir to combine. Return meatballs to sauce, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes until meatballs are cooked through (internal temperature 160°F) and sauce has reduced by one-quarter.
  4. While sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water (6 quarts) to a rolling boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente according to package instructions, typically 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
  5. Transfer spaghetti to the skillet with meatballs and sauce. Toss over medium heat for 30 seconds, adding pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time as needed to create a silky emulsion. The starch from the pasta water should help coat each strand lightly.
  6. Plate spaghetti in shallow bowls, dividing meatballs evenly. Top each portion with freshly torn basil and a final grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Drizzle with additional extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.
Inspired by Fabio Viviani’s winning spaghetti with meatballs. This is a plausible recreation, not the chef’s original recipe.
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