Classic Meatballs with Spaghetti

Finely dice the vegetables and sweat in a little olive oil with a pinch of salt and a few sprigs of thyme at a low temperature for around 6-8 minutes. Remove half the cooked veg from the pan and chill.

To the remaining veg, add the tomato puree, red wine, chopped tomatoes and chicken or beef stock. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer as low as possible.

Meanwhile, you can assemble the meatballs. In a large mixing bowl add the minced meats, breadcrumbs, egg, chopped parsley and the now-cooled diced vegetables. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper to season. Mix well and divide into 12 even-sized balls.

In a large frying pan, sear off the meatballs so that they are evenly coloured on all sides. Once coloured, add to the simmering
tomato sauce, making sure to submerge them all in the sauce.

Cover the pot with foil and either bake at 150oc for roughly 45 minutes or simmer as low as possible for roughly the same time.

Once the meat balls are cooked remove from the heat and rest a little.

Finish by cooking the spaghetti in well-seasoned boiling water. Once cooked, drain and dress with some olive oil.

Finish the dish with some freshly grated parmesan, chopped parsley and olive oil. Voila!