Ranking just slightly lower than a few handpicked individuals, there is not many things in life that This Little Pig loves more than spaghetti meatballs. This fine swine cannot quite put it’s trotter on why exactly. Perhaps it is the slippery moorish pasta that can be twirled and swirled, perhaps it is the salty and juicy chunks of meatball or perhaps it is the glossy sugo that coats and infuses the pasta. All This Little Pig does know… is that it loves it with a passion close to a religious zeal. Amen.
Going from Spaghetti Bolognaise to Spaghetti Meatballs is a little step up in duration as you have to roll each meatball. However there are great benefits to this meal and whilst the cooking time is an hour (“good lord!” I hear you cry as you shut your browser window hurriedly) it is really a matter of just dropping those meatballs in and heading off for a snooze (just make sure the house won’t catch on fire whilst you snooze – disclaimer: we will not be held responsible for poor decisions relating to cook tops and sleeping). So what this fine swine is saying is….settle in on a Saturday afternoon when you’re not harried, hot or grumpy and quietly make this amazing delicious meal where all the simple flavours can siiiiiiiing. Plus..how great is basil at the moment? Let’s use him whilst he’s here okay?
Parmesan Pork Meatball Drop Spaghetti
Feeds: 4 Hungry Piglets.
Prep Time: 20 Mins. Cooking Time: 1 Hour (5 mins of stirring, 55 mins of snoozing).
Ingredients for meatball glory:
800g x pork mince (or you could do half beef, half pork too)
1 x egg
2 x Rosemary Sprigs
2 x Garlic Cloves
3 x Tbs Grated Parmesan
20g x Parsley
20g x Fresh Oregano
Good scrunch of salt and pepper
Ingredients for Sensational Sugo:
1 x Jar Passata Sugo
1 x Cup of Red Wine
2 x Tbs Olive Oil
1 x Red Onion
4 x Garlic Cloves
1 x Tsp Chilli Flakes
50g x Basil
2 x Tbs Dried Mixed Italian Herbs
1 x Tsp Sugar
1 x Tsp Gourmet Stock
Good scrunch of salt and pepper
Parmesan for scattering with wild abandon on pasta and guests
Method of Magic Meatballs:
- Pull your oregano, parsley and rosemary leaves off their stems and finely dice.
- Skin and finely dice your garlic cloves (2) – make sure you save the others for the sugo piglet.
- In a bowl place your mince and then drop in your diced oregano, rosemary, parsley, parmesan (3 Tbs) and garlic and give the whole thing a good scrunch of salt and pepper.
- Crack your egg in and then using clean trotters get in there and mix it all through until combined beautifully.
- Now grab a little bowl of water and then dip your trotters into the water and then scoop out a tablespoon sized amount and roll into a golf ball sized meatball. Repeat this – making sure to dip your trotters into the water each time (this stops the mince sticking to your trotters) – until all the mince is used up and you have come to the final chorus of “on top of spaghetti” (don’t know it? HERE you go).
- Now set them aside to rest, relax and overanalyze if they’re round and smooth enough.
- Skin and finely dice your garlic cloves (4) and red onion (1).
- In a large pan, heat up your olive oil (2 Tbs) and then once hot add in your diced garlic and red onion.
- Gently fry until the onion has turned a soft pink and then pour your tomato sugo (700ml), sugar (1 Tsp), gourmet stock (1 Tsp), dried mixed herbs (2 Tbs), chilli flakes (1 Tsp) and red wine (250ml) – you better not have drunk it all you old soak!
- Give the whole thing a gentle stir and then heat until bubbling.
- Now here is where the recipe gets the “drop” part…Drop your meatballs (from a very low and un-dramatic height) into your bubbling tomato sauce. Immediately take the heat to low (this is what makes the meatballs so tender) and then leave those little guys to bubble and cook away for around an hour (every now and then roll them over so they cook evenly). It is ready to eat when you pull a meatball out, split it in half and see that is no longer translucent or pink – very scientific we know.
- Bring a pot of water to the boil and then drop in your pasta (around half to ¾ of a packet – we can never quite get the right quantities and don’t plan to start now). Follow the pasta packet directions (we’re not going to give away all the secrets of life in one recipe) to cook to al dente. Drain and set aside for when your pasta is ready.
- As you serve, toss through your basil leaves for a glorious uplifting taste and drop in your pasta and gently mix through, so that all the delicious tomato sauce coats the pasta strands.
- Scatter parmesan extravagantly over the meal, give a final scrunch of pepper and then pop those trotters up and enjoy some swirly twirly pasta. Oink.
