AWESOME SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

This is a awesome dinner, gorgeous San Marzano DOP (proof the tomatoes are from San Marzano Italy) tomatoes slowly cooked with softened onions, garlic and fresh oregano from the garden and a splash of red wine served with the best meatballs ever!

Prep Time 15 minutes / Cooking Time Hands on 7 minutes / 1 hour Hands off

Ingredients

(Serves 4-6)

Fantastic Marinara Sauce

1 pack spaghetti 250g-500g

(depending on your appetite) ! 

4 tins San Marzano DOP tomatoes

2 large onions finely chopped

6 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 tbsp olive or coconut oil

1 tbsp butter

200ml red wine

1 tbsp oregano

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black and white pepper

1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

The Best Ever Meatballs 

1kg minced pork

500g minced lamb

70g dried breadcrumbs 

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black and white pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

50ml water or wine

50g greater Parmesan 

1/4 tsp sugar

First in a deep pan melt the butter and oil and gently soften the onions for ten minutes, add the garlic and cook for a further five minutes, remove from the pan, reduce the heat while you make the meatballs.  Place all the meatballs ingredients in a large bowl and mix together well, form in to golf ball size balls and seal all sides in the pan, add more oil if needed, remove the meatballs and cover leaving to one side, then add the red wine to de-glaze the pan and add back the onion mix along with all the tomatoes, oregano and seasonings, gently simmer for 45 minutes, then tip in the rested meat balls with any juices and leave on a gently simmer while you cook your spaghetti.

For the spaghetti bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil, season with salt, add the pasta and simmer for ten minutes, drain and toss in the sauce and serve.

AWESOME CHEESECAKE

MARSCAPONE RASPBERRY AND BLACK CURRENT SHORTBREAD CHEESECAKE

This is so rich and creamy a spoonful of gorgeousness every time.  I made this for my dad and he wanted a old fashioned all butter short bread biscuit base not the traditional digestive and butter base. The marscapone cream cheese filling really is divine and the fresh fruits can be any, these fruits are what was ready to eat from my garden.

Prep Time 15 minutes / Cooking Time 10-15 minutes / Fridge setting time 1 hour

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

227g plain flour

135g butter diced

114g caster sugar

500g marscapone

4 tbsp icing sugar

5 ml vanilla extract

1 jar seedless raspberry jam

250g fresh fruit 

First to make the shortbread base, in a large bowl place the flour and butter rub together with your finger tips until you have a fine breadcrumb texture mix in the sugar and pour into you greased baking tin, gently push down the mixture, not to much.  Bake in the oven 180 degrees for 10-15 minutes until a very slight colour change.  Leave to cool while you make the cheesecake filling.

Mix the marscapone with the icing sugar and pour onto the shortbread base, pop in the fridge to set for at least half an hour, then spread over the raspberry jam and finish with a sprinkling of your fresh fruit berries, pop back in the fridge and you awesome cheesecake is ready when you are, enjoy 😃