Spaghetti and meatballs. Other than Pizza and Bolognese, I can think of no
more stereotypical a dish to epitomise Italian food. The big, warm meaty
flavours, the thick tomato sauce, and of course the wonderful connotations
with 2 dogs sharing a moment in a back alley with a big moustachioed
man looking on in the distance…

Seriously though, this is a simple and heartwarming dish that will make your mouth water.

Ingredients

For the sauce

• 1 onion, peeled, halved and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1tbsp olive oil
• A good knob of butter
• 1tbsp flour
• 100ml red wine
• 400ml beef stock
• 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

For the meatballs

• 1 small onion, peeled, halved and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1tsp chopped oregano leaves
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 350-400g minced beef
• 4-5tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2tbsp flour
• 2tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Firstly, start by making the meatballs.
2. In a large pan, gently fry the onion, garlic and oregano, again for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.
3. Remove from the heat and leave to cool to room temperature. Once this is done, add the onion mixture to the mince and breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl.
4. Season well and start rolling some meatballs in the palms of your hands. The mixture should make about 24 meatballs, enough to feed 4, and perfect for freezing.
5. For the best possible flavour, leave in the refrigerator overnight.
6. Next, once you’ve got all the meatballs in the bag, we can look at making the sauce.
7. Begin by gently cooking the onions and garlic in the olive oil and butter on a low to medium heat for 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent.
8. Next, slowly stir in the flour. Once all the flour is combined with the butter/onions, slowly add the red wine and beef stock. Be careful to
   stir constantly to prevent lumps.
9. Finally add the tomatoes, bring to the boil, then simmer on a low to medium heat for 40 minutes.
10. Once you’ve got the sauce simmering, heat some vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan, lightly flour the meatballs and brown them evenly in the oil in a few batches.
11. Drain on some kitchen paper, then add to the sauce and continue simmering for about 15-20 minutes, topping up with water if the sauce is becoming too dry.
12. Finally, remember to cook the spaghetti! Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water, according to the manufacturer’s cooking instructions, then drain in a colander.
13. To serve, take 3 tablespoons of the sauce and stir into the drained spaghetti, portion up and spoon the meatballs and sauce over the pasta.
14. Serve with grated Parmesan, belissimo!

Chilli Con Carne

Chilli Con Carne. A staple food known the world over, one of the best exports
from Mexico and the official State dish of Texas. It’s also one of the quickest,
easiest dishes to make, and so perfect for any beginner, or anyone who simply needs
a fool-proof and easy one-pot recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 heaped teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 500g lean minced beef
• 1 beef stock cube
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of tomato purée
• 410g red kidney beans

Method

1. Firstly, dice the onion into 5mm squares. The easiest way to do this is to cut the
   onion in half from root to tip, then peel and slice each half into thick
   matchsticks lengthways. Make sure not to cut all the way to the root end so it’s
   still held together. Now slice across the matchsticks, making nice neat squares of
   onion.
2. Next up is the pepper. Cut your pepper in half lengthways, remove the stalk and wash the seeds away, then chop into similarly sized squares.
3. Heat a large pan or wok over a medium heat, and add the oil leaving for 1-2 minutes,
   or until hot. Add the onions and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5
   minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent. Tip in the garlic, red pepper,
   chilli, paprika and cumin. Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5
   minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Now brown the mince. Turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it
   up with your spoon or spatula. Keep stirring and prodding for at least 5 minutes,
   until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits.
5. Next up, crumble your stock cube into 300ml or 1⁄2 pint of hot water. Pour this into
   the pan with the mince mixture. Open the can of chopped tomatoes and add these as well. Add a good shake of salt and pepper. Squirt in about 2 tbsp of tomato purée and stir the sauce well.
6. Simmer it gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put
   a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it
   for 20 minutes, making sure to stir it every couple of minutes and checking that it
   hasn’t dried out. If the mixture starts to dry out too much, reduce the heat and add
   water.
7. Now, remember to add the beans! Make sure the beans, if you’re using tinned beans,
   have been thoroughly washed and rinsed. Add these to the mixture, and gently simmer for a further 10 minutes to allow the beans to soak up the flavour. Again if it looks a bit
   dry, add more water.
8. Finally just season with salt & pepper and dish up with rice. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, add a heaped tablespoon of sour cream on top to serve and enjoy.