A Tribute to My Dad and Alaskan Life!

Moose Spaghetti…Mooseghetti!

One of the very last dishes I presented to the judges on Season 3 of ‘The Great American Recipe’ was my dad’s favorite: Moose Spaghetti, or as we lovingly call it, Mooseghetti. This dish is near and dear to my dad’s heart. Growing up, he didn’t have much, and on the rare occasion they had ground beef, he would beg my grandma to make spaghetti. She had learned the recipe from her Italian sister-in-law, and it became a cherished family meal.

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 When my dad moved to Alaska, the call of big game hunting became a significant part of his life. Our family grew up on moose meat, which became the staple meat in our household. If a recipe called for beef, we just subbed in our moose. To honor my dad and our family traditions, I made Dad’s Moose Spaghetti with a twist—mozzarella-stuffed moose meatballs.

 

Check out this episode of

 

‘The Great American Recipe’!

 

Moose hunting, and subsistence hunting in general, play a crucial role in supplementing diets in Alaska, especially in the bush where grocery prices can be exorbitantly high. For many families, including ours, hunting isn’t just a tradition but a necessity that helps keep the pantry stocked and meals hearty and wholesome.

 

*Feel free to sub your favorite ground meat go-to in this recipe. Beef would be a natural choice, but turkey, chicken, pork or a combination of any of those would be fantastic.

 

Dad’s Spaghetti with Mozzarella Stuffed Moose Meatballs

Ingredients
  • 6 tbsp EV olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 8-10 large white mushrooms, diced
  • ½ cup red wine – malbec or similar red
  • 2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 2 cans tomato sauce
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp basil
  • ½ tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1/8 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 can black olives
  • 2 14.5 oz packages of Spaghetti
  • 2 lbs ground moose meat (sub any ground meat)
  • 1 ½ tbsp Traeger rub
  • 1/8 tsp fennel seed
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup panko crumbs
  • 6 oz. Galbani mozzarella cheese – whole milk
  • 1 cup finely grated parmesan
  • 1 cup fresh basil

Instructions
  1. Dice onions and sauté in olive oil.
  2. Chop garlic and mushrooms, while onions sauté. 
  3. After about 10 minutes, add mushrooms to onions.
  4. After 5 more minutes, add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute.
  5. Deglaze pan with red wine. 
  6. Add cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, along with oregano, basil, granulated garlic, fennel, black olives and salt and pepper.
  7. Simmer mixture, stirring frequently. As sauce simmers, use a potato smasher or similar type tool to smash and break down tomato pieces every so often.
  8. Begin making meatballs: Mix moose meat, Traeger rub, fennel seed, eggs and panko gently.
  9. Dice mozzarella into approx. ¾” cubes, 30 pieces
  10. Start water boiling for pasta.
  11. Divide meatballs into approx. 30 pieces.
  12. Shape meatballs into around 1″ rounds and stuff a piece of mozzarella in each. 
  13. Once all balls are done, sauté in 2 batches on low/medium heat in olive oil until golden brown on most sides. Set aside.
  14. Add meatballs to sauce. Cover and let simmer.
  15. Add pasta to water.
  16. Grate parmesan and chiffonade or tear basil.
  17. When pasta is done, start mixing pasta with some sauce, and plate pasta.
  18. Add meatballs and more sauce, parmesan and basil to the top of the spaghetti mound.
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