Meatballs with Spaghetti
Number of times cooked = Number of times Passed On =
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 12 Jacob’s cream crackers
- 2 heaped teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 500g good-quality minced beef, pork, or a mixture of the two
- 1 heaped tablespoon dried oregano
- 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 large egg, preferably free-range or organic
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil
- 400g dried spaghetti or penne
- a bunch of fresh basil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ½ a fresh or dried red chilli
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese, for grating
How to make it:
- Pick the rosemary leaves off the woody stalks and finely chop them
- Wrap the crackers in a tea towel and smash up until fine, breaking up any big bits up with your hands.
- Add to the bowl with the mustard, minced meat, oregano and rosemary
- Crack in the egg and add a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- With clean hands scrunch and mix up well.
- Divide into 4 large balls.
- With wet hands, divide each ball into 6 and roll into little meatballs – you should end up with 24.
- Drizzle them with olive oil and jiggle them about so they all get coated.
- Put them on a plate, cover and place in the fridge until needed.
How to cook it:
- Pick the basil leaves, keeping any smaller ones to one side for later.
- Peel and finely chop the onion and the garlic.
- Finely slice the chilli.
- Put a large pan of salted water on to boil.
- Heat a large frying pan on a medium heat with 2 lugs of olive oil.
- Add your onion and stir for around 7 minutes or until softened and lightly golden. Then add your garlic and chilli and as soon as they start to get some colour, add the large basil leaves.
- Add the tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar.
- Bring to the boil and season to taste.
- Meanwhile, heat another large frying pan and add a lug of olive oil and your meatballs.
- Stir them around and cook for 8–10 minutes until golden (check they’re cooked by opening one up – there should be no sign of pink).
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer until the pasta is ready.
- Remove from the heat.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions.
To Serve Your Meatballs:
- Saving some of the cooking water, drain the pasta in a colander.
- Return the pasta to the pan.
- Spoon half the tomato sauce into the pasta, adding a little splash of your reserved water to loosen.
- Serve on a large platter, or in separate bowls, with the rest of the sauce and meatballs on top.
- Sprinkle over the small basil leaves and some extra grated Parmesan.
- This recipe is really nice with the everyday chopped green salad on the side.
