Spaghetti and Meatballs - The Mystery of the Missing Recipe...

Pin It I've just noticed that I've passed the 100 posts stage! I'm delighted that my 101st recipe is one of my absolute favourites.

It's a recipe I get asked for over and over again - good ol' spaghetti and meatballs! I get calls and texts saying “I know you did meatballs on Alchemy but I can’t find them!” Ah, the mind is a funny old creature, always playing tricks.

I mentioned making meatballs for my finicky (but otherwise delightful) little niece, who loved them and now thinks I live in a restaurant. That post, however, was about something entirely different. So, for those of you who have been scratching your heads when the search box comes back blank, here’s my meatball recipe. I leave out the chilli when making these for young kids, although I leave the wine in as all the alcohol evaporates in the cooking. I like to vary/mix the meat I use but my favourite combination is half lamb or beef, and half pork which gives the meatballs a rich flavour and lovely succulence.

For 4 - 6 servings you will need...

Simple tomato sauce

2 x 500ml cartons pasata (or whiz 2 cans of chopped plum tomatoes in your blender)

2 teaspoons sugar
100mls red wine (or chicken stock if you prefer)
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·                    To make the sauce: Put all the ingredients together in a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Allow to simmer gently, uncovered, while you prepare the meatballs.

Meatballs

4 tablespoons olive oil for frying

250g minced lamb or beef

250g minced pork

1 egg, beaten

50g white breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leafed parsley

1 red chilli (seeds removed), very finely chopped or a ½ teaspoon chilli powder

2 cloves garlic, crushed

50g - 75g spaghetti per person 

Freshly grated Parmesan to serve

I've a date with spaghetti tonight!

1.                           While the sauce is simmering, prepare the meatballs: put the minced meat in a large bowl and add the beaten egg, followed by remaining ingredients and mix until evenly distributed throughout the meat.

2.                           Wet your hands with cold water to stop the mixture sticking to them while you form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a walnut shell, setting them on a plate – you should have 20 – 24 compact meatballs.

3.                           In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Gently place the meatballs in the pan, making sure they are not touching or they will steam rather than brown, affecting the flavour. Fry, turning every minute or so until browned all over. This will take about 3 - 5 minutes and you may have to do it in two batches, depending on the size of your frying pan.
The browning stage is important to add flavour and give the meatballs a crust so that they don’t dissolve into the sauce. Don’t worry that they are not cooked right through – you’ll finish cooking them in the sauce.

4.                           While the meatballs are browning, taste the tomato sauce and add more salt and black pepper if necessary. You may also want to add a little more sugar if the sauce tastes too acidic. When the meatballs are browned, add them to the tomato sauce to finish cooking through. Simmer gently for 30 minutes.

5.                           Towards the end of the cooking time, bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add a teaspoon of salt to the boiling water and cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet.

6.                           Drain the pasta and toss it in a little olive oil before serving it up with the meatballs and sauce spooned over the top. Serve a bowl of grated parmesan on the side. 

Child-friendly!

Variation: Add a teaspoon of grated lemon peel for adding zing.

If you prefer, cook the meatballs in the oven: When you’ve browned them in the frying pan, arrange the meatballs in a heatproof dish and pour the tomato sauce over them, add some freshly ground black pepper and bake in the oven (pre-heated to 180°C) for 30 minutes. 

The End! Sigh...

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