It's been a while since I've posted a recipe on here. I can't remember the last time, actually. Was it when I loved a good duck? I've been told several times now that the food I post on Instagram (and I'm constantly eating so I'm always posting them lol) gives people food envy. And honestly, most of the time, the food really taste as good as it looks.
For today's Sunday's table, I did a wholesome, comforting spaghetti with meatballs and a Caprese salad on the side. I've been craving for a little quiet time lately, finding myself retreating into my own world/home every chance I get. There's something about making meatballs that really grounds me. Perhaps it's because while they are easy to make (prep time for me is less than half an hour now), they require enough work that you actually have to pause and take time to focus on making them. I find it so therapeutic to sit there and mix the ingredients and make the meatballs by hand. It's like a delicious form or mindfulness for me!
So what better meal to end the weekend with than a generous helping of spaghetti with meatballs on top? Add a Caprese salad and garlic bread to start, open your wave bottle of red, light up some candles, and you've got a quick and easy Italian fix for that Sunday night meal. And if you're lucky, you'll have enough leftovers for Monday lunch too! Because Mondays are tough enough as they are and sometimes my only motivation to get out of bed is to think about the food I'm gonna be eating that day...
Caprese Salad
Ingredients
1 buffalo mozzarella
Handful of angel tomatoes
Handful of basil leaves
A drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Balsamic glaze optional
How to make the freshest Caprese salad:
1. Chop the angel tomatoes into halves. Traditional Caprese salads use regular tomato but I like the smaller ones because they're sweeter
2. Grab a handful of basil leaves and finely chop them
3. Get a pretty serving plate
4. Place mozzarella in the middle of the plate
5. Add the tomatoes and basil around it
6. Drizzle with olive oil
7. Add salt and pepper
8. Drizzle with a Balsamic glaze if you're feeling boujie
Serve with garlic bread on the side and an olive oil/balsamic dip. Great as a starter before pasta and while drinking wine, or as a side dish to the pasta. In this case, spaghetti with meatballs!
Meatballs
Ingredients
1 packet of mince beef
3 pieces of Italian sausages, remove from casing
1 piece of white bread (I usually take the end bit of a loaf. You know - that piece no one eats/likes)
A dash of milk or at least enough to cover the piece of bread
1 clove of garlic (I like a shit ton of garlic so I probably go for a whole clove but it's up to you really)
3 tbs parmesan cheese powder
1 egg
A handful of parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large bowl
1 oven tray
How to make the best meatballs:
1. Add all ingredients on a large bowl
2. No, but seriously that's it
3. Okay, but if you must know, here's the order I do it in:
4. Add the piece of bread and cover it with milk, letting it really soak in the bottom of the large bowl
5. Remove the casing from the Italian sausages and add it in the bowl
6. Put the mince in
7. Cheese, cheese, bitch! Time to add that parmesan into it. I don't really measure it to be honest - I just empty the packet directly into the mixture until my mouth waters
8. This is the glorious bit where you add the garlic in
9. Crack the egg, add it in
10. We'll add some greenery because we are ~healthy AF so put the chopped parsley in (I try and chop them finely)
11. Salt and pepper to taste
12. Gently mix all the ingredients with your CLEAN HANDS (!!!!)
13. This is optional but I like to take time make the meatballs so I casually sit my ass down in the dining room chair, have some music going (or Gossip Girl playing in the background), before I form them into meatballs
14. Scoop a bit of mixture in depending how big you like your meatballs. I go for just slightly smaller than golf size so it cooks quicker. Gently form into a ball using both your hands. It doesn't have to be a perfect circle - the more you try and form it perfectly, the tougher the meatballs get so just a quick ball shaped situation is fine
15. Line them up on the tray then sprinkle with olive oil. Totally optional but I save a handful of meatballs for the stove to cook with the sauce. Also because my tray gets too full and I'm too lazy to bake a second batch
16. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees until it's hot - I usually wait 5 mins
17. Carefully add the tray in. Set the timer to 20 minutes. Check if it's done to how you like it and if all the sides are cooked! I leave mine in the oven for another 10 mins after I turn it off. No particular reason. I'm probably still waiting for the sauce or noodles to cook
Sauce
Ingredients:
2 cans of tomato sauce (I love Pam's)
Handful of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt, pepper, sugar to taste
The meatballs you've set aside for frying
How to make the sauce:
1. Heat the oil in a nice, spacious pan
2. Sear the meatballs in medium heat until both sides are brown then turn the heat to low
3. Add garlic in until they're slightly brown
4. Put the tomato sauce in
5. Add salt, pepper, sugar to taste
6. Take the meatballs from the oven tray and add it to the sauce - try and get the drippings from the pan too because they add a different depth to the sauce.
Serve with spaghetti noodles (I like mine al dente) and add another round of parmesan powder on top. Get a good bottle of red wine. Viola! And, if you're feeling romantic, why not recreate this iconic scene with your love while you're at it?
It's been a while since I've posted a recipe on here. I can't remember the last time, actually. Was it when I loved a good duck? I've been told several times now that the food I post on Instagram (and I'm constantly eating so I'm always posting them lol) gives people food envy. And honestly, most of the time, the food really taste as good as it looks.
For today's Sunday's table, I did a wholesome, comforting spaghetti with meatballs and a Caprese salad on the side. I've been craving for a little quiet time lately, finding myself retreating into my own world/home every chance I get. There's something about making meatballs that really grounds me. Perhaps it's because while they are easy to make (prep time for me is less than half an hour now), they require enough work that you actually have to pause and take time to focus on making them. I find it so therapeutic to sit there and mix the ingredients and make the meatballs by hand. It's like a delicious form or mindfulness for me!
So what better meal to end the weekend with than a generous helping of spaghetti with meatballs on top? Add a Caprese salad and garlic bread to start, open your wave bottle of red, light up some candles, and you've got a quick and easy Italian fix for that Sunday night meal. And if you're lucky, you'll have enough leftovers for Monday lunch too! Because Mondays are tough enough as they are and sometimes my only motivation to get out of bed is to think about the food I'm gonna be eating that day...
Caprese Salad
Ingredients
1 buffalo mozzarella
Handful of angel tomatoes
Handful of basil leaves
A drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Balsamic glaze optional
How to make the freshest Caprese salad:
1. Chop the angel tomatoes into halves. Traditional Caprese salads use regular tomato but I like the smaller ones because they're sweeter
2. Grab a handful of basil leaves and finely chop them
3. Get a pretty serving plate
4. Place mozzarella in the middle of the plate
5. Add the tomatoes and basil around it
6. Drizzle with olive oil
7. Add salt and pepper
8. Drizzle with a Balsamic glaze if you're feeling boujie
Serve with garlic bread on the side and an olive oil/balsamic dip. Great as a starter before pasta and while drinking wine, or as a side dish to the pasta. In this case, spaghetti with meatballs!
Meatballs
Ingredients
1 packet of mince beef
3 pieces of Italian sausages, remove from casing
1 piece of white bread (I usually take the end bit of a loaf. You know - that piece no one eats/likes)
A dash of milk or at least enough to cover the piece of bread
1 clove of garlic (I like a shit ton of garlic so I probably go for a whole clove but it's up to you really)
3 tbs parmesan cheese powder
1 egg
A handful of parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large bowl
1 oven tray
How to make the best meatballs:
1. Add all ingredients on a large bowl
2. No, but seriously that's it
3. Okay, but if you must know, here's the order I do it in:
4. Add the piece of bread and cover it with milk, letting it really soak in the bottom of the large bowl
5. Remove the casing from the Italian sausages and add it in the bowl
6. Put the mince in
7. Cheese, cheese, bitch! Time to add that parmesan into it. I don't really measure it to be honest - I just empty the packet directly into the mixture until my mouth waters
8. This is the glorious bit where you add the garlic in
9. Crack the egg, add it in
10. We'll add some greenery because we are ~healthy AF so put the chopped parsley in (I try and chop them finely)
11. Salt and pepper to taste
12. Gently mix all the ingredients with your CLEAN HANDS (!!!!)
13. This is optional but I like to take time make the meatballs so I casually sit my ass down in the dining room chair, have some music going (or Gossip Girl playing in the background), before I form them into meatballs
14. Scoop a bit of mixture in depending how big you like your meatballs. I go for just slightly smaller than golf size so it cooks quicker. Gently form into a ball using both your hands. It doesn't have to be a perfect circle - the more you try and form it perfectly, the tougher the meatballs get so just a quick ball shaped situation is fine
15. Line them up on the tray then sprinkle with olive oil. Totally optional but I save a handful of meatballs for the stove to cook with the sauce. Also because my tray gets too full and I'm too lazy to bake a second batch
16. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees until it's hot - I usually wait 5 mins
17. Carefully add the tray in. Set the timer to 20 minutes. Check if it's done to how you like it and if all the sides are cooked! I leave mine in the oven for another 10 mins after I turn it off. No particular reason. I'm probably still waiting for the sauce or noodles to cook
Sauce
Ingredients:
2 cans of tomato sauce (I love Pam's)
Handful of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt, pepper, sugar to taste
The meatballs you've set aside for frying
How to make the sauce:
1. Heat the oil in a nice, spacious pan
2. Sear the meatballs in medium heat until both sides are brown then turn the heat to low
3. Add garlic in until they're slightly brown
4. Put the tomato sauce in
5. Add salt, pepper, sugar to taste
6. Take the meatballs from the oven tray and add it to the sauce - try and get the drippings from the pan too because they add a different depth to the sauce.
Serve with spaghetti noodles (I like mine al dente) and add another round of parmesan powder on top. Get a good bottle of red wine. Viola! And, if you're feeling romantic, why not recreate this iconic scene with your love while you're at it?
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