How to Make these Easy Meatballs
We want these meatballs on the menu every night
- For the tomato sauce
- 1 echalion shallot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 large clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small dried red chilli
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 3 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes
- For the meatballs
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 echalion shallots, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 2 slices of bread
- 800g minced beef
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
- 1⁄2 tsp ground cumi
- 1⁄2 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 level tbsp dried oregano
- 1 large free-range egg yolk
- 1 level tbsp Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- To serve
- 500g spaghetti
- Handful of fresh basil
- Parmesan
To make the sauce, gently fry the shallot and garlic in a deep saucepan with the olive oil. Crumble in the chilli and add the oregano and tomatoes. Mix well, then bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer gently for one hour.
To make the meatballs, heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a deep, frying pan on a medium heat. Add the chopped shallots and sugar and cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring often, until golden and caramelised.
Use the food processor to turn the bread into breadcrumbs, then add to a bowl with the minced beef.
Pick and finely chop the rosemary leaves. Add to the mince with the cumin, chilli flakes, oregano, egg yolk, mustard and caramelised shallots. Season well with sea salt and black pepper.
Mix well, and, with wet hands, roll and pat heaped tablespoons of the mixture into balls.
Add the remaining oil to a wide pan on a medium heat and add the meatballs – you may need to cook in batches. Fry until brown all over.
Cover with the tomato sauce and turn the heat down to low to keep the meatballs warm while the spaghetti is cooking. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente – around eight minutes.
Drain the spaghetti, reserving a mugful of pasta water. Add to the pan of sauce and meatballs and mix together, adding more pasta water if needed.
Serve into bowls topped with fresh basil leaves and lots of grated Parmesan.
