Better late than never. Here is how to make meatballs. Just like mum does lol. This recipe makes enough for 4-5 people. To feed more, add more bread. Halve the quantity to make less (dur) but still use one egg. You need a food processor for this. If you can't borrow one I will make suggestions at the end.
Recipe
500g mince lamb or beef (you could probably use any other mince instead eg turkey, pork, chicken)
1 egg
Some stale bread
Oregano
Garlic
A small onion
Salt and pepper
If you are using frozen mince make sure you thaw it.
Heat the oven to 200 C
Cut the onion into about 4 pieces and put it in the food processor. Cut the garlic into a few bits. Put it in. Break the bread into pieces and add it. Give a good shake of oregano and break the egg into it. Process until its a big gooey mess. Add the mince, salt and pepper. Process in bursts until the meat is thoroughly mixed with the bread mixture, homogenous is the word.
Form the meat into balls and place on a baking tray and put in the oven. It will make about 20-30.
Cook the meatballs for around 20 minutes until cooked through and kind of brown and chewy outside.
To make tomato sauce, fry finely chopped onions, oregano, maybe garlic, perhaps some finely chopped celery and carrot in olive oil until soft. Add a tin of tomatoes, salt, pepper, maybe vegetable stock or an oxo cube, perhaps a splash of worcester sauce according to your mood and what you have in the cupboard. Cook this while the meatballs are cooking. When the meatballs are ready put them in the sauce and cook gently until you are ready to eat. A simpler alternative is to use a jar of pasta sauce and add a tin of tomatoes if you need to bulk it up. Mmmmmm.
If you don't have a food processor, chop the onions and garlic as finely as you can, put your stale bread in a bag and bash it until it forms fine breadcrumbs, mix the crumbs, onions, garlic, oregano and egg in a big bowl, add the meat and stir until you get bored and it looks like it will form into balls. Then carry on as above. Alternatively come home and I'll cook them for you.
Serve with pasta. Grate cheese on the top. Have a salad if you want to impress.
Love Mum xxx
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Sunday, 3 October 2010
Well fed?
As I understand, you have been with your lovely girlfriend today and by all accounts her family always feed you well, so I don't need to give you a proper recipe tonight. Instead, here are some tips for making your food taste better and kidding yourself that you have had a proper meal when times are tough.
1. Add cheese. Pasta on its own isn't going to fill you up, is it? Bread on it's own won't keep you going long. A baked potato ungarnished is positively depressing. Add grated cheese to any of these, melt it (or allow it to melt) and you have a meal.
2. Which cheese? Mild cheddar is cheap but a disappointment. Buy medium or matured, it has flavour. Extra mature can be a bit overpowering. Red Leicester is lovely and you can use it like cheddar. Remember, the more mature the cheese, the less you need for flavour.
Still on the subject of cheese, what about when you open the fridge, only to find your cheese is covered in blue mould. Don't think bin, think Stilton or Roquefort. It won't kill you. Just cut off the blue green bits and use the cheese as normal. In case you're wondering, I did this throughout your childhood with no ill effects.
3. Onions. Fry onions with a little salt until they are brown. Add to your cheese (see above). Cheese and onion is one of those perfect combinations. Plus they will repeat on you, reminding you (and your friends) you have eaten.
4. Oregano. Sprinkle on your food as it cooks. Your kitchen will smell like an Italian restaurant and, yet again, you can kid yourself you have eaten something much more exciting than you did.
5. Chili. Add to what you are cooking and it will give it a kick, but exercise caution until you can assess how hot you want it. You can always add more, but if you overdo it your food will be inedible. TIP: if you do overdo it and you have no choice but to eat what you prepared, adding natural yoghurt will cool it down. This is fine with curries but may not go with everything you cook.
Hope this gives you some ideas for the next week,
xxxxx
1. Add cheese. Pasta on its own isn't going to fill you up, is it? Bread on it's own won't keep you going long. A baked potato ungarnished is positively depressing. Add grated cheese to any of these, melt it (or allow it to melt) and you have a meal.
2. Which cheese? Mild cheddar is cheap but a disappointment. Buy medium or matured, it has flavour. Extra mature can be a bit overpowering. Red Leicester is lovely and you can use it like cheddar. Remember, the more mature the cheese, the less you need for flavour.
Still on the subject of cheese, what about when you open the fridge, only to find your cheese is covered in blue mould. Don't think bin, think Stilton or Roquefort. It won't kill you. Just cut off the blue green bits and use the cheese as normal. In case you're wondering, I did this throughout your childhood with no ill effects.
3. Onions. Fry onions with a little salt until they are brown. Add to your cheese (see above). Cheese and onion is one of those perfect combinations. Plus they will repeat on you, reminding you (and your friends) you have eaten.
4. Oregano. Sprinkle on your food as it cooks. Your kitchen will smell like an Italian restaurant and, yet again, you can kid yourself you have eaten something much more exciting than you did.
5. Chili. Add to what you are cooking and it will give it a kick, but exercise caution until you can assess how hot you want it. You can always add more, but if you overdo it your food will be inedible. TIP: if you do overdo it and you have no choice but to eat what you prepared, adding natural yoghurt will cool it down. This is fine with curries but may not go with everything you cook.
Hope this gives you some ideas for the next week,
xxxxx
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