Drake has a stubborn side. I am not going to tell you which parent he gets that trait from, but lets just say I am proud of him! Change for the little bloke is difficult, and right now he doesn’t see the need at all to feed himself. He also gags big time whenever something with texture goes in his mouth. Poor little nugget.  He has to move up to the toddler room at daycare soon, and one of the prerequisites is that he can feed himself regular food.  Well, I don’t think he will be moving any time soon!!

One thing someone recommended to us to try with him was spaghetti and meatballs. It has been about 10 years I think since I have made meatballs, but hey, why not give it a go. They seemed like they would be a lot of fun to make (they were), and it is always a giggle making a decent pasta sauce.

I was thinking about what herbs to bung into these puppies, and sage came to mind. One of my favorite herbs during the colder months, the smell just seems to make me think about the cold outdoors and a nice warm fire. For the meatball mixture I combined some good quality ground beef (organic grass fed) with lashings of chopped sage, a little chopped parsley, breadcrumbs, an egg, some finely chopped onions and garlic – and a wee bit of salt and pepper. Nothing could be easier to be honest. For the tomato sauce we again have some sage in there, and also some fresh basil. The sauce is really just a mix of a large can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste and some seasoning and herbs. It would have benefited from a little red wine, but hey, we don’t want Drake drunk!

Now for some nutritional information…. I don’t eat a huge amount of beef, but when I do I make sure that it is grass fed organic beef. The beef industry here is huge, and to keep up with supply we have ‘orrible things like growth hormones, feedlots, antibiotics, steriods, all that junk.. not to mention cows eating grain. A cow, eating grass? there is a concept… So anyhow, I try and make sure that the beef I buy is organic (free of the dodgy hormones), and grass fed. The grass fed bit is important to me. The chlorophyll in the grass brings the omega 3 to omega 6 fat ratio of beef might closer to ideal – there is way more good heart healthy omega 3 fat in grass fed than regular grain/corn fed beef (which means less saturated fat, which is never a bad thing).

And tomatoes.. Canned tomatoes are a great source of Lycopene, a really powerful antioxidant that is shown to prevent cancer, heart disease – never a bad thing. Canned tomatoes for some reason have far higher quantities of this bad boy, which works for me. Course, don’t stop eating regular tomatoes, they have a bunch too – just buy em in the summer when they are in season.

Anyhow, I was really happy with how this turned out. I wasn’t expecting much, since I haven’t made meatballs in bloody ages, but these were great fun to make, and really darn tasty too (if I do say so myself).

Meatballs and spaghetti

1lb of good quality ground beef (organic grass fed if you can)

handful of picked fresh sage leaves – chopped

small handful of parsley – chopped

small handful of basil – thinly sliced

small handful of grated parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano if you have it..)

1 large can of chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 slices of fresh sourdough, blended into breadcrumbs

1 egg

1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar

Spaghetti – enough for two people (people’s amounts vary wildly here!)

salt and pepper

olive oil

Lets start by making the tomato sauce, since this simmers for a while. In a small pan over a medium heat soften 1/3 of the onion and garlic in a dash of olive oil. We don’t really want these to go brown, just softened up.  When these are done, you can add a small glass of red wine if you wish, and let this reduce down to almost nothing. Making this for Drake however, that would be a bad idea, even though most of the alcohol burns off (it is a myth that it ALL burns off..). Add in your can of chopped tomatoes and tomato paste, and about 1/3 of the fresh chopped sage. Season with a little salt and pepper. Simmer this for about 20 minutes, until the sauce has reduced down and is thick. When this has thickened up, transfer it to either a blender or food processor, and process until pretty much smooth. We still want some body to it – we aren’t making Passata!

Whilst the sauce is cooking lets get making the meatballs. In a large bowl combine the ground beef, rest of the onion, garlic, sage and parsley. Add in a good sprinkling of parmesan (about 1/2). Mix this together using your hands, or a couple of spoons if you wish. Break the egg into a small bowl or cup, and whisk until just combined. Add this to your meat mixture, and throw in about 1/2 the breadcrumbs. You want the mixture to hold together well, but not bet too wet. If it is too wet, add more breadcrumbs. The egg and breadcrumbs act as a binder. I try to use a little as possible, so you get more meat per ball, so to speak. Season with some salt and pepper, and mix again. Form these into small balls – a bit smaller than golf balls.

Get a large pan of water on the stove over a high heat for the pasta. When boiling, throw in the spaghetti, and cook according to package instructions.

In a large stainless steel frying pan (don’t use non-stick here, otherwise the balls won’t brown as well) and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, add your meatballs. Try not to crowd the pan. We can cook these in two batches, or two pans if we need to. Cook for a few minutes on the first side, then flip them over when nicely browned. Do this for all sides, until evenly browned on all sides, and cooked through – about 10 to 15 minutes total depending on the beef you use (grass fed cooks faster) and the size of your balls (ahem..). If you are worried as to whether they are cooked, just cut into one, and check out the middle. If it is cooked, just scoff it down right there, whilst no one is looking.. You are the cook after all, it has to come with some privileges!!

When they are done, remove them from the pan to a paper towel to allow to drain. Add the balsamic vinegar and basil to the blended tomato sauce. Add all of this sauce to your meatball pan, and get it hot again. Return your meatballs to the pan, just so they can soak up a bit of the sauce, and get coated nicely, whilst we wait for the pasta to cook.

Drain the pasta, and add the pasta sauce to it. (carefully removing the meatballs again). Toss to combine. Swirl the pasta down onto a plate. Top with the meatballs. Have a nice glass of wine, relax, and enjoy some great comfort food.