Spicy Mediterranean Meatballs

• 2 olive oil Generous glugs of
• 1/2 red onion - Finely Diced
• 1 pepper Red small, - Finely Diced
• 3 cloves garlic - Crushed and finely diced
• 1 can cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano chopped
• sea salt Sprinkle of
• freshly ground black pepper Generous sprinkle of
• white pepper Generous sprinkle of
• 1/2 red onion - Very finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic Crushed and very finely diced
• 2 1/4 cups pork mince Good quality makes all the difference
• 5 1/4 ounces chorizo Hot uncooked, - Skin removed and mashed up
• 1 cup breadcrumbs fine
• 2 eggs
• 1 dash white pepper
• sea salt Sprinkle of
• chilli flakes Sprinkle of
• 1 handful fresh oregano - Very finely chopped
• pasta Allow around 80-90g per serving
• sea salt Sprinkle of
• 1 handful parsley - Finely Chopped
• freshly ground black pepper Extra
• extra-virgin olive oil Drizzle of
• 1 cup Parmesan - Finely grated

1. Begin by making your tomato sauce, add the chopped onion, red pepper and garlic to a couple of big glugs of olive oil and allow to cook over a low heat around 5 minutes
2. Add in your tin of cherry tomatoes, your seasoning and half of your fresh oregano and allow to cook over a medium to low heat for as long as possible - if the sauce starts to thicken up too much then add a splash of water
3. TIP- If you can't find tinned cherry tomatoes you may need to add in a spoonful of sugar or balsamic to your sauce. The cherry tomatoes are much sweeter than regular tinned plum tomatoes
4. For the meatballs, mush up and combine all the ingredients. If you're chopping up your onion super super fine then you don't need to cook it prior to adding it
5. For less spice leave out the chilli flakes, for more, add more!
6. TIP- Make sure that all your ingredients are chopped up as finely as possible, this way the meatballs have less chance of crumbling or breaking up
7. Make sure you have a good sticky but not sloppy consistency, as the meatballs need to be able to be rolled and hold their shape. You can add more egg for more stickiness or more breadcrumbs for less
8. Next roll them into balls around a third of the size of a golf ball, you want them a little larger than bite size
9. Once made into balls place them on a plate and let them chill in the fridge for half an hour, this will help them hold their shape
10. Once your meatballs have chilled, heat a small dash of olive oil in a large frying pan, once hot add in your meatballs and allow them to turn crispy and golden, turning after about 3-4 minutes
11. After you've turned them over twice carefully transfer to the oven, placing them in an ovenproof dish if necessary and cook for a further 10 minutes or so
12. Once the meatballs are placed in the oven to cook through, place a large pan of water on a high heat and bring to the boil (you can use the kettle to help speed up the process) add a sprinkle of salt and once the water's boiling add in the spaghetti and stir so it doesn't stick
13. Leave the lid off and allow to cook over a high heat for around 10-12 minutes or until al dente
14. Serve by draining the pasta (you can keep a good dash of the water and combine this with the sauce to help loosen it if necessary) transfer to a large serving platter, pour over your tomato sauce, add your meatballs and sprinkle over the remaining chopped oregano plus a sprinkle of parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
15. Don't forget to have plenty of grated Parmesan to hand

olive oil generous, red onion, pepper, garlic, cherry tomatoes, oregano, salt, freshly ground black pepper, white pepper, red onion, garlic, pork, breadcrumbs fine, eggs, white pepper, salt, chilli, oregano, pasta allow around, salt, handful parsley, freshly ground black pepper, extravirgin olive oil drizzle of

Taken from www.yummly.com/recipe/SPICY-MEDITERRANEAN-MEATBALLS-1513171 (may not work)