ELIZE’S SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS
Grated parmesan, to serve
- Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
- 50 g pork and beef mince
- 250 ml red wine
- 400 g can crushed tomatoes
- 700 g bottle passata (I used homemade)
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
- ¼ cup finely chopped basil
- Spaghetti:
- 175 g semolina flour
- 75 g cake flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 egg
- Pangrattato:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 100 g panko bread crumbs
- 25 g parmesan, finely grated
- ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- Meatballs:
- 500 g pork and beef mince
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted
- 25 pecorino cheese, finely grated
- ¼ bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
To make sauce, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic and chilli, stirring, until soft. Stir in minces and cook, stirring, until browned. Add wine and bring to a boil. Simmer until reduced by half. Stir in crushed tomatoes, passata and sugar. Season. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes. Stir in herbs.
To make spaghetti, sift flours and salt onto a clean work bench. Make a well in the centre. Add egg yolks and egg and whisk lightly. Gradually incorporate flour into centre, adding a little water if necessary, to form a soft pliable dough. Dough is correct consistency if your thumb comes back clean when pushed into it.
Knead dough on a lightly floured bench for about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic (it will lose it’s rough, floury texture). Stand, covered, for 20 minutes to rest.
To make pangrattato, heat half the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add anchovies and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Mix remaining oil with breadcrumbs and add to the pan cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add remaining ingredients and cook until mixture is dark golden and crisp. Season.
Meanwhile, to make meatballs, using your hands combine all ingredients in a bowl. Roll into walnut-size balls.
Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium heat. Cook meatballs until browned all over. Transfer to sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes or until cooked through.
To finish making spaghetti, divide dough into quarters. Pass quarters through a pasta machine on the widest setting, dusting dough with flour between rolls, increasing settings until about 2mm thick. Pass pasta sheets through a spaghetti cutter.
Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain.
Serve spaghetti, meatballs and sauce with pangrattato.
Garnish with parmesan.
Recipe and Photo: Elize de Kock
