Preparation Time
20 minutes
Serves
4
Nutrition
N/A
Puree
Break up a meatball and blend with a little of the tomato sauce.
Finger Food
Cut up a meatball and some spaghetti.
Ingredients
-
1 thick slice of bread, crust removed
-
A good glug of milk
-
300g pork mince
-
250g beef mince
-
Small handful of fresh parsley
-
Zest of 2 lemons
-
1 fat garlic clove, peeled and chopped
-
½ onion, finely chopped
-
Salt and pepper
-
Plain flour for coating
-
Glug of olive oil
-
Knob of butter
-
Jar of ready-made pesto or tomato sauce
-
Spaghetti
A family favourite recipe from TV presenter and cook Nadia, who reckons this will soon become one of your most-asked-for meals.
‘Whenever my daughter Kiki has a play date, she asks me to make scetti and balls because, as she says: ‘Most kids like scetti, Mummy’,” says Nadia. “I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t like these utterly delicious, super-juicy meatballs.’
1. Put the bread on a plate, cover it with milk and allow it to soak for 10 minutes-ish. Now mush it up with a fork (get the children to help with this job) and put it in a bowl with the pork and beef mince, parsley, lemon zest, garlic and onion. Season with the salt and pepper and mix well.
2. Sprinkle some flour on a large plate. Wet your hands to stop the meat from sticking to you. Gently roll walnut-sized balls of the mixture in the flour. Be gentle so the meat doesn’t compact and become tough and chewy.
3. Cook the spaghetti as directed and gently heat the pesto or tomato sauce.
4. Heat a glug of olive oil and a knob of butter gently in a large frying pan. Fry the meatballs for 4–6 minutes until a light golden-brown all over and cooked through. Don’t overcook if you want them to be juicy! Serve with the spaghetti and sauce.
Pregnant? Red meat is a good source of iron and vitamin B12, both of which are important to your baby’s development.
Recipes adapted from Nadia Sawalha: Fabulous Family Food, £20, Macmillan. Photography by Mark Adderley and Nicky Johnston.