Referred to at Mancave London HQ as ‘World Famous’ meatballs, because the first time we rustled them up they were such a hit. Warm, satisfying and full of flavour, these bad boys are one to knock your (Alfredo Gonzales) socks off.

 

Ingredients – Serves 4

 

• 1 Large onion

• 1 Large bunch of Basil

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 1 large bottle of Italian Passata 500g +

• 1 lemon

• 1 Large pack of prepared meat balls (Supermarket Meatballs work just fine)

• 1 500g pack of dried Linguine.

• 100g of dried Linguine per person.

• 1 chunk of Parmesan

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

 

Ok, the sauce for this dish is the key. Slow cooked over a good couple of hours makes all the difference. Long slow cooking of the sauce adds depth of flavor. But heh, shorten this if you must. Also, as important is your pasta, good quality pasta ideally with slightly serrated edges. These edges grab hold of and retain the sauce really well.

 

Prep 10 mins

 

• In your food processor, place a large Spanish onion, 2 to 3 plump garlic cloves, a large handful of fresh basil (keep some back for garnish at the end) and a tablespoon of lemon zest (a chilli if you wish!).

• Wiz for a minute until you have a fine paste.

 

Cook 1-2 hours

 

• Grab a large saucepan, pour in a good couple of lugs of olive oil, gently fry the onion mix for a few minutes, then add your Passata. Cover and leave on a gentle simmer at the lowest possible heat for at least an hour, 2 if you can. Top up with water if the sauce thinkens too much, you don’t want it to thicken and burn on the bottom of the pan.

 

• Towards the end of the sauce cooking time fry your meatballs in a large frying pan. Tossing often until they are nice and browned all over. Once browned, drain the excess fat from the frying pan (if you wish..) and pour the sauce over the meatballs and let simmer gently for 10 mins.

 

• Meantime, cook the pasta to the directions on the packet but remember to salt the water with a good pinch...Just before the end of recommended cooking time, test the pasta! We prefer just a slight resistance to the pasta when biting, don’t let it go soft and mushy!

 

• Drain the pasta and drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive oil, toss and serve on a large serving platter or bowl. Pour over the meatballs and sauce and garnish generously with grated Parmesan and chopped basil. A squeeze of lemon always works! – Bellissimo!!!!