Yesterday I are been mostly eating meatballs.

A further foray into the frozen wastes of our freezer elicited the discovery of a half pack (250g) of minced pork.  Well, it looked like pork and the label said pork, so it must have been pork?  Rather considerately, we received our vegebox yesterday, which meant that I actually had some fresh ingredients to work with.  I decided to make meatballs with red pepper and onion in a spicy tomato sauce.

 

I'm not sure why, but I do believe that this recipe works best with a "long" pasta - liguine, tagliatelle or parpadelle for example.  Naturally all our "long" pasta was depleted and I had to reach for the ever ubiquitous fusilli.  I honestly think that should there ever be nuclear Armageddon the human race will righteously be saved by fusilli.  No matter how empty your cupboard is, there will always be a half-used pack of supermarket fusilli tucked away at the back.

Meatballs with spicy tomato sauce.

•   250g of mince will eke out 9 meatballs if you are careful.  If possible a mix of  beef and pork works best.
•   Empty the minced pork into a bowl.  Season generously.
•   Finely (and I mean really fine) dice half a Romano pepper and half a small onion. Add to the bowl.
•   Add half a teaspoon of chilli powder.
•   Add a teaspoon of regular paprika.
•   A few finely chopped sprigs of thyme make a tasty addition.
•   Shape into small balls, smaller than a golf ball, but bigger than a marble.
•   Add olive oil to a large, heavy-based frying pan.  Fry the meatballs on each side.  Do not turn them too frequently.  Build up a nice caramelized crust on each side.
•   Remove from the pan.
•   Add a sliced onion and the rest of the Romano pepper, sliced into the pan.  Add some more olive oil if necessary.
•   Start to sweat the onion and peppers.
•   Chop 3 cloves of garlic.  Throw into the pan.
•   Once the ingredients in the pan are softened add a glass of decent wine.  A Chianti or a nice Primitivo would work.  Boil off the booze.
•   Add a tin of peeled plum tomatoes, a squirt of tomato puree, a squirt of Worcestershire sauce and a squirt of tabasco.
•   Add a bay leaf.  Check and correct the seasoning if necessary.
•   Add the meatballs back to the sauce.
•   Cook on a low heat for 30 minutes.
•   Serve with pasta and some cheese!