Gizzi Erksine’s spaghetti meatballs recipe

If you’re after a tasty winter warmer try Gizzi Erksine’s spaghetti meatballs recipe, made with pork and chorizo – relish!

I blooming love meatballs, and these are rather special – the chorizo and chilli pepper give them fire, the fennel lends aroma, and the fresh tomato sauce sets the whole thing off. I’m using spelt spaghetti here; I’m a huge fan of spelt. It’s easy to digest, people with wheat intolerances can eat it and it tastes really good. It’s by far the best wheat-­free pasta out there. The spaghetti portion here may seem small, but remember, we eat way too many carbs and I promise you’ll still be full after eating this.

Ingredients

200g lean minced pork (10% fat)
150g fresh chorizo sausage, the meat extracted from the skin

1 small onion, finely chopped
A few sprigs of oregano,leaves removed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper olive oil spray
320g spelt spaghetti

For the sauce

1 small dried red chilli

1⁄2 tsp fennel seeds
4 garlic cloves
2tsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped
800g vine ripened tomatoes, halved

1tsp red wine vinegar
A pinch of sugar
A handful of fresh basil leaves

Method

Put the minced pork, chorizo, onion, oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl and mix the lot together with your hands (the chorizo takes a bit of work as it’s much firmer than the pork mince). Divide into 12 balls. Pop them on a baking tray, cover with clingfilm and set aside to chill in the fridge.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Bash the chilli, fennel and garlic together in a pestle and mortar until they break down. Heat the oil in a pan, then add the onions and cook slowly for 8–10 minutes, or until the onions have softened and started to go golden. Add in the crushed garlic, chilli and fennel seeds and fry for 2 minutes. Tip in the tomatoes, add the vinegar and sugar and simmer very gently, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.

Spritz a non-stick frying pan with a little olive oil, then add the meatballs and fry gently over a low heat for 10 minutes, turning them over once. (You may need to do this in batches if your pan is not very big.) Drain off any excess fat, pour in the sauce and cook for a further 15 minutes, then stir through the basil.

Meanwhile, bring a big saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook for 7 minutes, or until al dente. Stir the sauce and meatballs through the pasta and divide equally among bowls.

This tasty dish is part of Sharpham Park’s Great British Spelt Recipes campaign for Bowel Cancer UK (sharphampark.com)