How to Cook Tagiatelle and Meatballs

Serves: 4-6

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients needed to make Tagiatelle and Meatballs:

• 1 lb 2 oz tagiatelle
• 9 oz ground pork
• 9 oz ground beef
• 3 streaky bacon slices, chopped
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 can (14 oz) chopped tomatoes
• 3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 ¾ oz white breadcrumbs
• 1 egg yolk
• Handful of fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
• Grated cheese, as required
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 fl oz red wine
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cooking instructions for Tagiatelle and Meatballs:

• Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over slow flame and toss the chopped onion into it.
• Sprinkle a dash each of salt plus ground black pepper and sauté for a while until it is just soft.
• Stir in the bacon and sauté further until the onions soften completely and turn lucid.
• Sprinkle the breadcrumbs as well as into it, followed by the chopped parsley and stir them into the mixture.
• Set half of the mixture aside in a bowl until necessary and add the ground meat into the other half in the pan.
• Tip them into a food processor, along with the egg yolk and blitz them into a smooth paste.
• Split it into small portions and roll them into small ping-pong shaped balls.
• Toss them into a saucepan and brown them for 10 minutes while stirring often, until they turn brown.
•  Drain them out into a bowl and set aside.
• Return the reserved mixture back into the pan and stir in a splash of wine until well mixed.
• Bring it to a boil and stir in the fresh tomato chunks.
• Continue to cook over high heat, while stirring relentlessly, until they turn mushy and stir in the canned tomatoes.
• Fill the empty can with water and pour it into the mixture.
• Stir to mix well and bring the mixture back to a boil.
• Adjust the seasonings and simmer the sauce for 5 more minutes.
• Drop the meatballs into the pan and stir to coat well with the sauce.
• Cook further until the sauce starts boiling again and then reduce it to a simmer; cook likewise for 15 minutes.
• Drop the pasta into a large pot of boiling water and cook until al dente; drain them out into a colander and transfer them into a serving bowl.
• Pour in the meatball, along with the sauce and stir them all together until mixed evenly.
• Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and serve warm.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on May 24, 2013 by