Meet The Rao’s!
There is a restaurant in East Harlem that has been open since 1896 – run by multi-generations of the Rao family.
Two years ago, I shared this story of trying to replicate their famous Meatball recipe – and since I am making them again tonight, I thought I might as well show you what I am about to embark on again!
This legendary restaurant has only ten tables – and it is impossible to get in to…but that’s OK, because the family has been selling their famous sauces to enjoy at home – and I’m going to see if I can replicate their Marinara sauce – and use on one of their classic recipes!
I found this book on sale a few years ago – and after using their various jarred sauces over the years, I thought it was time to see if I could replicate it!
There’s the Marinara recipe, and some of the ingredients I will be using to try and make it myself – with the jar of Rao’s sauce watching over it – and there will be a taste test at the end!
Of course, I need something to use the sauce on, so there will be their famous meatballs as well – let’s get cooking!
Making Marinara!
The recipe for Rao’s Marinara sauce is simple – and it’s because the ingredients are meant for each other!
First, saute 3-4 tablespoons of minced onion in 1/4 cup of olive oil for 3 minutes, until it becomes translucent, then add two minced garlic cloves and cook for 3 more minutes.
INext up, dump into 2 28-ounce cans of imported plum tomatoes – I used whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, and the recipe says to smash them up a bit while cooking – but make sure you move your cookbook out of the way first:
Oops!
Yes, I gave those tomatoes a good crush and they promptly sent lots and lots of seeds flying out of the pan and onto my counter!
Luckily I cleaned it up immediately and there were no stains left behind…now, add sat to taste, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat as it’s time to give it a low simmer for an hour:
After an hour or so, stir in 6 leaves of torn fresh basil, a pinch of Oregano, then set the sauce aside – it’s done!
Time To Make Anna & Frankie’s Meatballs!
Here is a look at the ingredients for the family’s famous Meatball recipe – and while I’ve made many Meatballs before, I’ve never made them like this!
Mince a garlic clove ahead of time – yes, I used several but I love garlic so anything worth doing is worth overdoing….then, toss it in a bowl, along with one pound of lean ground beef, 1/2 pound ground veal and the same amount of ground pork…I couldn’t find the veal so I double the pork.
Add two large eggs, a cup of freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, a tablespoon of fresh parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
As you can see, dumping all of the ingredients into a bowl is pretty straightforrward:
Rao’s Meatballs – Part 2!
Now comes the second part of the preparation – and I entered a whole new world of Meatball-making!
It all started simply enough: add 2 cups of bread crumbs…I used remade but you can make your own of course as well – and then I was told to add an ingredient I’d never used before this way:
Just Add Water!
Yes, it was time to slowly add two cups of lukewarm water, one cup at a time….it was strange to add water, but I didn’t, and slowly, the mixture came together in a surprisingly creamy way!
See how much creamier it looks? The bread crumbs absorb the water, so there is no liquid in the bowl.
Now, time to make some meatballs!
I had enough mixture for a dozen meatballs, so I fried them up in batches…watch this short clip and imagine how delicious my kitchen smelled at this time!
Heat oil in a pan to medium high, then place your Meatballs in, turning them after they begin to form a crispy brown exterior…
While it wasn’t in the recipe, since I doubled the pork, I decided to give them 15 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees to make sure they would be fully cooked…
I carefully lowered them into the sauce and let them cook for another 15 minutes…
Time To Eat!
The smell in the kitchen was incredible: meatballs bubbly softly away in the sauce!
One last thing to do before my taste test: I’m going to scoop out some of the jarred Rao’s Marinara, warm it up a bit, and place it on a plate to top with a Meatball:
Now, I built my presentation: I took some of the homemade sauce and placed a single Meatball on top:
Some fresh parsley went on top, and I did the same with the jarred sauce, and placed them side by side:
Let me share my live taste test for you:
I was completely surprised just how close my homemade sauce was to the flavor of the Rao’s jar…I assumed there would be additives in their product, but it was as pure and minimal as the sauce I made from the cookbook!
As for the Meatball, it was DIVINE.
It had such rich flavor but was also velvety smooth – the addition of water really made the Meatball creamy and soft – but without destroying the shape of the Meatball while I ate!
I loved this recipe – both the Meatballs and the Marinara were delicious and filling – they say you can put them on top of pasta, or just eat them this way!
I have also made Meatballs thanks to this guy:
Yep, that’s Clemenza from “The Godfather” – it was all part of my “dinner and a movie” – check it out here!
I also took part in a cooking confidential review where I made these!
OK I needed some parsley for the top, but these “hard boiled egg-stuffed Meatballs” were delicious – see that recipe here:
I really should have put some color on top of those – but we all make mistakes in the kitchen, right?
One of my disastrous efforts was when I tried to make Chef Michael Ruhlman’s “Mollet Egg”:
Is this the way it was supposed to turn out – and can you really bread an egg while cupping it in your hand?
Click here for the answers!
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Categories: Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Chef memoirs, Cookbooks, Eat This!, Food, Food Pictures, Recipes, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
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I love your taste test! I am amazed at the amount of water in those meatballs.
I shunned jarred sauces until I tried Rao’s on a recommendation. I was delighted and told my husband it tasted like homemade!
I posted a story about a taste test of jarred sauces and Rao’s was overwhelmingly #1 – and it tastes just as good out of the jar as it does if you make it yourself, which I did! Thanks for the comment! Oh the water was a revelation to me, never have I had a smoother, creamier meatball interior in the best way!
Now I really am craving spaghetti and meatballs and live the sauce splash on the cookbook, makes you more legit
HA! I will always share the mistakes I make when cooking, and spraying that page with sauce will be with me forever! Thank you for the comment
my old Betty Crocker cookbook had rings of black on it from when I laid it on a hot burner when cooking
That looks delicious, John! Set me a place at your table, and I will bring the Chianti Classico.
Best wishes, Pete.
Deal!
This looked so much fun but I”m not sure I’d have the patience to hand roll the pasta. I am going to try both the meatball and sauce recipes plus the sedish meatballs.
I know a Chef who admits he’s not a fan of making pasta and says store bought fresh will do just fine…it was a fun class but there was a LOT of rolling indeed! Thanks for the comment, great hearing from you