Rigatoni with Little Herbed Meatballs

Italian-Americans rightly embarrassed by the cliché of spaghetti and meatballs claim no one in Italy eats such stuff. But there is a meatball tradition in the Abruzzi, Apulia, and south Italy, where polpette appear in broth, layered in lasagne, and with pasta. What you don’t find are those tennis-ball-sized meatballs sitting on a bed of overcooked spaghetti dressed with tomato sauce. Anyone would be embarrassed by that mess. But wonderfully seasoned little meatballs combined with ric