Hello everyone!
This week’s newsletter is all about meatballs, a food that is eaten all over the world under different names. These plump little guys, made of meat bulked up with herbs and breadcrumbs, can be dressed in all kinds of sauces, and served in all kinds of ways.
I’m going to give you the recipes for two of my favourite ways to eat them - ‘nduja spaghetti and meatballs, and Swedish meatballs. You’re going to get the scoop on a panade, which is the secret to making the moistest, juiciest meatballs.
Both the recipes today are for pork meatballs, which is a personal preference, but they’d also be nice using beef, or 50/50 mixture of beef and pork.
Enjoy!
Sophie x
The Recipes
‘Nduja Spaghetti and Meatballs
I cooked these when my sisters came round for lunch recently, and they went down an absolute treat. So much so that I got many DMs on Instagram of people asking for the recipe. Well, ask and you shall receive - here is the recipe for these big, fat, juicy meatballs.
To get the juiciest meatballs, you are going to want to make a panade. This is a fancy French word for something not very fancy - it literally means “bread mash”. The process simply involves soaking breadcrumbs in liquid to form a thick paste, which adds both bulk and moisture. The bready mixture binds with the meat to stop the mixture getting too tight and dry as it cooks, and gives you softer, tastier meatballs.
You could mix breadcrumbs with water for this, but why not add something tastier? I like adding milk for fattiness/creaminess, but also grating an onion in there, and allowing the juices that process releases to join the party.
Serves 5
For the sauce:
3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes (I like Mutti best)
½ onion
50g butter
For the meatballs:
1 onion
60g fresh white breadcrumbs
60ml whole milk
a handful of fresh parsley
500g pork mince
50g ‘nduja
1 tsp salt
For the crumb:
40g sourdough breadcrumbs
handful of fresh parsley leaves
500g spaghetti
salt, pepper and olive oil
Start by getting your sauce going. Finely slice your garlic, then heat a medium sized saucepan over a low heat with 3 tbsp olive oil. Add the garlic and chilli flakes, then cook for about a minute until fragrant.
Tip in your tinned tomatoes, and bring the mixture up to a simmer. Drop in your onion half and your butter, then gently simmer on a very low heat for about an hour, stirring every so often.
Make your breadcrumb topping. Heat a frying pan with 4 tbsp olive oil in it, then tip in your breadcrumbs. Toast over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring the whole time, until they are crispy and golden. Tip into a bowl.
Finely chop your parsley, then add this to the breadcrumbs as well as a pinch of salt. Give it a mix.
Make your meatballs. Grate your onion into a large mixing bowl. Add your breadcrumbs and milk, then give it a really good mix. Leave to hydrate for 5 minutes.
Finely chop your parsley, then add this to your breadcrumb bowl along with your pork mince, ‘nduja and salt. Give it a really good mix, then roll the mixture into large balls about 4cm in diameter
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil, then add your meatballs, and pan fry for about 7 minutes, turning them often, until they are golden brown on all sides.
Remove your onion from your sauce pan, and season to taste. Tip it in with your meatballs. Gently simmer them in the sauce for 6 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside on a plate.
Cook your spaghetti in salted water until al dente, then lift it directly into the pan with tongs. Gently mix it together, adding splashes of pasta water to bring it together.
Add your spaghetti to a platter, and pop your meatballs on top. Scatter over your breadcrumbs and some parmesan, then serve it up.
Swedish Meatballs
My mum generally didn’t let us stop to feast on meatballs in IKEA after traipsing around the warehouse when I was growing up (she had her hands pretty full with 5 kids), but she did normally pick up a frozen bag from the food section for us to bring home. It was always a treat meal to have back home after a busy morning playing house in the demo kitchens on Purley Way, and is still a meal that brings me immense comfort.
There are a few elements to this one, but despite this, it still isn’t even that time consuming of a meal. It’s quick enough to whip up midweek (though you’d maybe want to make the pickles another day), but feels special enough to eat as a leisurely weekend dinner too.
The panade piece from the recipe above still applies, so refer to that for why the breadcrumb/milk/onion mixture is so important.
Serves 4