Welcome to a new series on Malabar Tea Room, Tea with Friends, where we share recipes from our friends and family that we think you’d love. We’re surrounded by good cooks and nothing makes mum and I happier than listening to someone one tell us about the dishes they love to cook, and that one secret ingredient that makes their version so special. So here we are, having convinced some of those friends to share their recipes and secrets with you as well. Confusingly, the series will feature not just tea-time recipes, but the name was catchy, so let’s go with that.
I’ve been dreaming of mum’s spaghetti and meatballs for weeks now. Spaghetti and meatballs was one of those dinners I’d be excited for all day, growing up. I’d be sitting in Malayalam class pretending to follow along as the teacher tried to explain some obscure detail in a poem that made no sense to a group of teenage girls for whom the only thing between them and lunch was this kadichapotatha poem written by someone who has been dead for many centuries.
Anyway, I’d be thinking of the plump little meatballs, and the bottled, processed Kraft parmesan — you know the one that comes in a green bottle — that was an integral part of the meal. I’d imagine using mum’s new pasta tongs to twirl some of the spaghetti onto my plate trying not to drop any onto the tablecloth, followed by 3 meatballs please, and then I’d cover the whole glorious mound with a thick rain of parm. I feel like calling it parm is generous.
When I mentioned to Francesca, our friend who was visiting us, that I was missing mum’s meatballs, she offered to make her version. She also very nicely let me share the recipe here. These meatballs are so elegant in their simplicity, and are just so very good. They are soft, with just the right amount of moisture, and when simmered in her signature tomato sauce, it is a bowl of straight up comfort. No Kraft parm needed. Francesca says you can make the meatballs whatever size you’d like, but the smaller ones are very nice in soup. One technique that surprised me was that she dipped a slice of bread in water, squeezed out the water and then mixed this bread into the meat. This is instead of the breadcrumbs you’d typically use. I’d never seen that before, but this weekend I was watching Jamie make a meatloaf recipe and he did the same thing.
Francesca’s REcipe for Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
For the meatballs
500 g minced beef
Small bunch of parsley (optional)
2 cloves garlic
2 bread slices crust removed
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper (optional)
1 egg
Salt
For the tomato sauce
1 tin of peeled tomato
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, peeled but not cut
4 cloves garlic, crushed (don’t bother peeling)
Pinch of za’atar (optional! Francesca’s personal touch!)
Salt
Method
To make the meatballs
Blitz parley (if using) and garlic together. Add to meat. Crack in the egg. Add the salt.
Dip the bread in water, squeeze out the excess water and add it to the meat.
Squish this into the meat until it completely mixes in and you can’t see flecks of bread anymore.
Roll the meat, without working it too much, into rounds. Place them on a tray lined with parchment.
To make the tomato sauce
Open your tin of tomatoes, and pour the tomato juice into a bowl. Fish out the whole tomatoes and blitz them until smooth. Add this to the bowl of tomato juice.
Heat the oil in a small pot. Add the onion and garlic. When sizzling, add the blitzed tomato and the rest of the sauce. Cook on very low heat. Add in salt and half a cup water to rinse out the tin. Taste the sauce: if too tangy add a pinch of sugar and cook some more. Add a generous pinch of za’atar, if using.
To assemble
When ready to cook the meatballs, add them into the sauce and continue to cook covered on low for 15 minutes.
Enjoy!