Children are not the only ones who enjoy twirling and slurping their way through a mound of spaghetti and meatballs. There are times when I also hanker after a steaming bowl of these home-made morsels, napkin at the ready for any stray spots of sauce. 

I have two versions of my own meatball recipes that sort of evolved through trial and error. One uses minced lamb, cumin, oregano and is served with steamed rice. The other is based on beef mince, with mixed Italian herbs and paprika and is served with either spaghetti or farfalle pasta. 

This evening however, I decided to “mix it up” because I have two younger brothers who often remind me that I need to loosen up the routine a little. So, this is my attempt on the food front, courtesy of Karen Martini’s recipe for Spaghettini and Meatballs from her family friendly cookbook, Cooking at Home. I have made some minor changes, nothing drastic but have offered an explanation just in case anyone is wondering. 

My guinea pigs for this gastronomic experiment were my ever eager children, ranging in age from toddler to teenager. They all had seconds, hardly said a word except for murmurings of delight and asked for leftovers to be packed up for school lunches on Wednesday. Enough said, just try out the recipe below. 

Spaghettini and Meatballs to serve 8-10 people

Ingredients for the sauce

100 ml olive oil
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 bay leaf 
1 handful oregano leaves (I used basil because this is my all time favourite herb, and since our dog has chased away the possums from the veggie patch, there is plenty of it. Basil will darken – mine did as seen in the photo – when cooked in a sauce unless added at the very end.)
2 x 400 gram cans chopped tomatoes (I used the Mutti Polpa variety)
2 3/4 cups of tomato passata
2 tablespoons caster sugar 
500 ml chicken stock (I had a tub in the freezer, but you can use a good quality shop bought variety too.)
salt and pepper to taste (I added this after tasting the sauce. Always taste your product before seasoning to prevent a sodium overload.)

Heat the oil, add the garlic and herbs and sauté over a medium heat. Add the remainder of the ingredients, bring to the boil, then simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes. 

Ingredients for the meatballs

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 brown onions
3 cloves of garlic (The recipe calls for 6 but I didn’t feel it necessary to have breath strong enough to ward off vampires, plus my onions were very potent when I peeled them.)
1 handful fresh oregano
sea salt and black pepper
450 g pork and veal sausages, skins removed (I used about 500 g of pork fillet which I minced in my food processor, because I didn’t have any of these sausages on hand.)
350 g beef mince (I ended up using about 400 grams.)
200 grams grated Parmesan
2 free-range eggs
100 g fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 fresh nutmeg grated (I used half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg instead)
handful flat-leaf parsley

Using a food processor finely chop the onions and garlic and then place in a large pot with the olive oil and sauté over a medium heat. 

While this is cooking, put all the other ingredients into the food processor and blitz until combined. Scoop into a bowl with the now softened onion/garlic mixture from the pot and mix through with immaculately clean hands that should always be scrubbed thoroughly before cooking anything. 

Roll the mixture into walnut sized balls and place on a flat plate. 

Heat some extra olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat and add the meatballs in batches, being careful not to crowd them. Once they have all browned evenly, add them to the simmering sauce. Stir gently with a wooden spoon to space them out, taking care not to break or squash any of the meatballs. Then simmer for about 15 – 20 minutes. 

Karen Martini also adds 1/2 cup of frozen peas to the sauce at this point. I left this out because my youngest doesn’t think peas are very exciting and I didn’t feel like launching into an illogical argument with a three year old. 

Serve with spaghettini (I used 750 grams because I wanted extra for combining with the leftover sauce the next day) and grated Parmesan

My tip – I always cut open a meatball before serving to check that it is completely cooked through. Very important to do, especially if serving to pregnant women, small children, the elderly or frail and generally to avoid food poisoning which is an unfortunate way to end any meal.