RICOTTA AND OREGANO MEATBALLS
Why this one?
The picture of this dish in the book looked sumptuous, glossy with brilliantly browned meatballs set in a rich dark tomato sauce. I wanted to eat it there and then. I have to confess I am not a huge fan of meatballs, having always found them to be so meaty, the strands of mince still being felt across my tongue but my husband loves them and we've eaten vegetarian a lot lately so it felt like a good time to try these little beauties.
Find the recipe here...https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/28/ricotta-recipes-yotam-ottolenghi
Any substitutes?
None - i'm getting good at this following a recipe malarkey.
The actual cooking of the dish
I had grand plans of doing the prep for this dish during my baby's morning nap but an online dance class gobbled away at my baby free time so when I actually got round to prepping I was literally hand deeps in the bowl of mince, cheese and egg forming spheres when I heard the little sleepy groan escape my daughters lips.
Prior to wake up time I had managed to make the tomato sauce, simply cook the onions, garlic, stock and tomatoes.
Once i'd formed the meatballs I left them in the fridge until dinner time. What was brilliant about this recipe was that as much or as little as required can be in advance, prefect for so many scenarios.
Browning the meatball was successful, 8 minutes and the balls were lusciously golden. I've often found browning a tricky skill but I truly believe not overcrowding the pan is the key.
Cooking time arrived - gin in hand. I slowly cooked the stock submerged meatballs, tenderising them and enhancing the sauce. The recipe called for a 30 minute cook time, however, I cooked it for about 40 minutes. If you've read any of my other blogs you will know how obsessed I am with the right consistency of sauces. An extra 10 mins cooking time gave me the desired viscosity.
What I thought
What a surprise, not a hint of the texture of mince, the slow cooking making the meatballs so tender they melted in the mouth. The soft middle complimented by the slightly crunchy outside, the richness of the sauce just calling out for more more more.
Yet another pleasant surprise was the lightness of the meatballs, they felt like fluffs of candyfloss but with the savoury joy of cheese and salt, their lightness not affecting the satisfaction that meatballs and pasta can bring.
So so delicious, my only comment would be that I wanted more of the sauce, this could have been down to me reducing it for longer than the recipe but next time, and there will be a next time I'll just make more sauce.
Difficulty: Medium
Tastiness rating: 9/10 only missing the extra point for lack of sauce
Next time I'd....make more sauce - I think I have made this point enough now. Everyone go make these wonderful meaty globes.
Why this one?
The picture of this dish in the book looked sumptuous, glossy with brilliantly browned meatballs set in a rich dark tomato sauce. I wanted to eat it there and then. I have to confess I am not a huge fan of meatballs, having always found them to be so meaty, the strands of mince still being felt across my tongue but my husband loves them and we've eaten vegetarian a lot lately so it felt like a good time to try these little beauties.
Find the recipe here...https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/28/ricotta-recipes-yotam-ottolenghi
Any substitutes?
None - i'm getting good at this following a recipe malarkey.
The actual cooking of the dish
I had grand plans of doing the prep for this dish during my baby's morning nap but an online dance class gobbled away at my baby free time so when I actually got round to prepping I was literally hand deeps in the bowl of mince, cheese and egg forming spheres when I heard the little sleepy groan escape my daughters lips.
Prior to wake up time I had managed to make the tomato sauce, simply cook the onions, garlic, stock and tomatoes.
Once i'd formed the meatballs I left them in the fridge until dinner time. What was brilliant about this recipe was that as much or as little as required can be in advance, prefect for so many scenarios.
Browning the meatball was successful, 8 minutes and the balls were lusciously golden. I've often found browning a tricky skill but I truly believe not overcrowding the pan is the key.
Cooking time arrived - gin in hand. I slowly cooked the stock submerged meatballs, tenderising them and enhancing the sauce. The recipe called for a 30 minute cook time, however, I cooked it for about 40 minutes. If you've read any of my other blogs you will know how obsessed I am with the right consistency of sauces. An extra 10 mins cooking time gave me the desired viscosity.
What I thought
What a surprise, not a hint of the texture of mince, the slow cooking making the meatballs so tender they melted in the mouth. The soft middle complimented by the slightly crunchy outside, the richness of the sauce just calling out for more more more.
Yet another pleasant surprise was the lightness of the meatballs, they felt like fluffs of candyfloss but with the savoury joy of cheese and salt, their lightness not affecting the satisfaction that meatballs and pasta can bring.
So so delicious, my only comment would be that I wanted more of the sauce, this could have been down to me reducing it for longer than the recipe but next time, and there will be a next time I'll just make more sauce.
Difficulty: Medium
Tastiness rating: 9/10 only missing the extra point for lack of sauce
Next time I'd....make more sauce - I think I have made this point enough now. Everyone go make these wonderful meaty globes.
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