If we’re going to start cooking together, I must share with you my family’s all-time favourite…pasta with minceballs!
I’ve been making these since I was a girl helping my Nonna: now my grandchildren help me make the same meal. The smells while they’re cooking is divine, the licked plates and Nonna, ‘can I have some more?’ … a joy.
It is really quick and cheap to make, but best of all it tastes brilliant.
Easy Peasy!
PASTA WITH MINCE BALLS
For the meat balls:
200g lean minced beef
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs (just whizz some old bread in a blender)
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese (optional)
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 small onion finely grated
1 egg yolk
Sea salt and black pepper
***
Put all the mince ball ingredients in a bowl and mix it all together
Roll the mixture into about 8-10 small balls
For the sugo
3-4 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin if possible)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 small dried chilli or pinch chilli flakes
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 fresh bay leaf
3 x 400g tins tomatoes, whizzed in a blender
Sea salt and black pepper
A few sprigs fresh basil
Start the sugo by warming the oil in a shallow saucepan.
Add the garlic and chilli, sautéing for a few minutes to flavour the oil.
Add the onion, stir it around in the oil. Add the fresh bay leaf and with the lid on, leaving it on a low heat for 4-5 minutes to soften them without burning.
Raise the heat a little and add the meatballs, a few at a time turning them in the oil to brown them. Remove and leave aside.
When they are all browned loosen any pieces of meat from the bottom of the saucepan and add the sieved tomatoes.
Stir and bring to a simmer. Lay the browned meatballs gently into the sauce.
Cover with a lid, balanced on a wooden spoon so that some moisture can escape, and leave to simmer gently for 1 to ½ hours.
The sugo will evaporate and thicken.
Taste and season with sea salt and black pepper and add a few sprigs fresh basil.
Add to any boiled pasta you fancy or just eat with a thick slice of bread.
This will make a meal for 4-5 people. It keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days or you can freeze it.
Cooks Tip:
Buy fresh herb plants from garden centres and keep them on the windowsill…rosemary, bay, parsley, basil. They’ll last months and you will have any fresh herbs you need.
Mary Contini is author and broadcaster, director Valvona & Crolla ( valvonacrolla.com)
Easy Peasy Real cooking for Kids Mary Contini and Pru irvine Birlinn …Out now
Mary Contini ©
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here