Oh Balls!

Meatballs to be precise. The Daughter has always been a fussy eater when it comes to eating dinner - though will eat any amount of fruit including the wierd and wonderful you could hope for. Go figure?! Anyway, she professed a fancy for Meatballs and Spaghetti. I was only too happy to oblige in the hope of seeing her actually sit down and enjoy her evening meal with us.

I've tried quite a few different meatball recipes in recent years, but have found Nigella's ones to be far and away the best. The main difference to Nigella's is that the meatballs aren't browned in a pan first, but are cooked in the sauce. Much easier! They even work pretty damn well when cooked in the slowcooker too.

Nigella's Meatballs (my version)
500g minced pork
1 egg
2 tbsp fresh grated parmesan
1 crushed clove garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
3 tbsp couscous
salt & pepper

Put everything in a bowl, mix together with your hand. Form into small balls. Place on a baking sheet and put in the fridge for at least an hour.

Sauce
1 chopped onion
2 crushed cloves garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tins chopped tomatoes
100ml milk
salt & pepper

Put all sauce ingredients in a large pan and mix through. Bring to slow boil. Place the meatballs into the sauce. Don't stir until the meatballs have gone from pink to brown, else the balls will break up. Cook for about 20 minutes, with the lid partially covering the pan.

Slow cooker version - put all the sauce ingredients into the crock pot and mix. Gently place the meatballs well into the sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve with pasta.


I have to admit that the dinner wasn't a complete success as The Daughter was absolutely shattered after her first day back at school and refused to eat anything. *Sigh*.