The English language can be very problematic. Take the word meatball for example. On its face it's a perfectly fine word. It communicates exactly what you should expect– orbs of meat. But what if those orbs aren't meat in the traditional sense? What if they're made from poultry? Should we call them chicken balls? Should it be one word or two? You can see how confusion might set in. Maybe even derision. Same goes for my Spaghetti and Bean Balls. You just can't say bean balls without a devilish smile on your face, can you? However, I did not intend this recipe to be the butt of a joke (so to speak).

I'm sorry I felt the need to bring this obvious subject up, but I'm trying to save you public ridicule. Can you imagine if you left a well-intentioned comment on my blog along the lines of, "Gee Greg your Bean Balls look delish."

We'd both be humiliated.

But what am I supposed to do? This is a recipe that replaces the traditional meatball with a red bean version. It's served with a spicy Arrabbiata sauce, and it really is delish.

Spaghetti and Bean Balls

Maybe I should have followed the Italian example. The Italians are much more sensible when it comes to balls of any sort. Edible orbs in that language are known as polpette. Polpette is not a childish name for a serious part of the male anatomy. So polpette, whether made from chicken, beans or even shrimp (quit laughing), are taken as a serious gastronomic experience. Polpette di Pollo. Polpette di Fagioli. See, you're not laughing– you're not even smiling. You're hungry...

Sadly this is not the case with my Spaghetti and Bean Balls recipe, because I can still hear you laughing.

Of course the Italian word for testicles is chestnuts. So, they've got their own etymological/gastrological issues to work out. GREG

Spaghetti and Bean Balls