PicoBlog

Happy Sunday,

Welcome back to The Good Home Cook. Its getting chilly in the south of England and i’m in need of comfort. My quick-fire answer to the ultimate source of comfort is spaghetti and meatballs. Everyone from Tony Soprano to Lady and The Tramp were fans of a big bowl of the saucy stuff. And i’m here to share one of my three favourite meatball recipes with you.

This issue talks you through a good pomodoro sauce - the way I always make it at home. And I share a recipe for my chicken and ricotta meatballs. I make three types of meatballs - traditional small polpette made from fatty beef mince, milk soaked bread crumbs and parmesan, a pork mince version with chilli and crushed fennel seeds and these chicken and ricotta ones. I particularly like the chicken version because the have a satisfying squishy texture, are inexpensive to make and are a good all round comforting ball of deliciousness.

A good Pomodoro sauce is about simple ingredients of a high quality and that means good tinned tomatoes - which make all the difference. Tinned tomatoes are probably my most used tinned item, if not my most used store cuboard item. They allow us to enjoy good juicy tomatoes in the depths of winter.

For paid subs i’ve also got a special guest recipe writer this week. One of the best vegetarian cooks/recipe writers and photographers in the biz - my pal Joe Woodhouse. Author of Our Daily Veg and More Daily Veg, there’s not a recipe of Joes I haven’t loved. He waves his magic wand on anything from a mundane carrot to a turnip or tomato and turns it into something extremely delicious, wholesome and homely. Here, Joe shares his recipe for tomato sauce and one of his favourite ways to use it up.

Thanks so much to everyone who’s signed up. I love sharing my recipes so please tag anything you make on insta - I love to see you all making them!

Esther x

Pictures by Tara Fisher - Props by Faye Wears

Pomodoro sauce

PREP 10 MINS COOK 35 MINS SERVES 4-6 EASY

70ml extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, very finely chopped

2 fat garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

3 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes (I use the finely chopped Mutti tomatoes)

1 tsp sugar

1/2 small bunch basil, larger leaves torn

Heat the oil over a medium heat in a casserole pot. Add the onion, lower the heat a little and fry gently with a good scrunch of salt for 10-12 mins or until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and chilli (if using) and fry for 2 mins. Tip in the tinned tomatoes, sugar and taste for seasoning. Add more salt if you feel it needs it. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 20 mins.

Blitz the sauce with a stick blender until smooth or keep it chunky if you like. Stir through the basil leaves. Taste for seasoning.

Good to know -

• Why use good tinned tomatoes? a bad tinned tomato lacks the flavour of a good, ripe tomato. Its overly acidic and watery in texture. A good tinned tomato is thick, slightly sweet and vibrant red in colour. My most trusted brand is Mutti - namely the finely chopped variety. or Petti - also the finely chopped variety.

• Why use sugar? - the sugar balances out the natural acids in the tomatoes. It may seem like an odd addition but its essential to the overall balance.

• Herbs? if you want to infused your sauce with herbs, tie them in a bunch with butchers string, then add them whole to the sauce before simmering for 20 mins. I like bay, rosemary or thyme. Or for heat add a dried peperoncino or fresh red chilli when frying the garlic.

• Frying the onion - the onion must be finely chopped and sweated down properly until softened and translucent. A pinch of salt with the onions help to break the onion down and soften it. Chunks of raw onion in a pomorodoro sauce is a big no.

• Olive oil - Its essential to use extra virgin olive oil to fry your onion, the flavour of the oil will be the base of your sauce, so a good rounded olive oil works well. Try not to use any of the lighter olive oil blends they often contain processed refined oils like vegetable oil.

Chicken and ricotta meatballs

PREP 15 mins COOK 20 mins SERVES 4 EASY

600g free-range skinless and boneless chicken thighs

1 free-range egg yolk

150g ricotta

100g fresh breadcrumbs

1/2 small bunch flatleaf parsley or fresh oregano, roughly chopped

30g parmesan, finely grated

Cooked polenta or pasta to serve

Whizz the chicken, egg yolk and ricotta to a thick paste in a food processor. Tip the mixture into a bowl, then add the breadcrumbs, most of the parsley and the parmesan, as well as a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix well and squish everything together, then divide into 12 small balls and set aside on a plate.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the meatballs and fry over a medium heat for 5 minutes, turning regularly, until lightly, golden brown. Tip the meatballs into the pomodoro sauce and simmer covered for 10-15 mins or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Serve with spaghetti, wet cheesy polenta or mashed potatoes as well as the pomodoro sauce and extra grated parmesan!

Good to know -

• Why add ricotta - the addition of cheese helps give it that squishy texture. Chicken has less fat than beef so adding the ricotta to these helps them retain a good robust, juicy texture.

• Chicken thigh is best used for this recipe. Don’t be tempted to use breast, it has a firmer, drier texture unlike the thigh which is more tender.

• Add 1/4 tsp chilli flakes, 1/2 zested lemon or crushed 1/2 tsp fennel seeds to the meatball mix if you like.

• For accuracy you can weigh your mixture then divide into 12 even sized balls, weighing each one as you go. Roll with wet hands for ease and a smooth, uniform shape.

  Subscribe as a paid subscriber for Joe’s recipe below.

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