Dude Food

Are you watching Masterchef? I love watching the challenges. Not so much the eliminations or even the inventions tests but I happened to see the adds for the "Dude Food" Invention test  that's coming up on on Sunday night and I was reminded of my husband a few months back. I was about to make my usual Spaghetti Bolognaise when my husband gave out a huge 'man' sigh.  Knowing this was his way of saying, "Not Spag Bol again!", I asked him what he would like for dinner. His response, "meatballs?". Phew! I thought he was going to say somethng from here!

Sorry about the meatball pic! It's not the best and I completely forgot the parmesan cheese! So forgive me! Also, the pic above is a little 'man corner' I created for my husband. How cool is the He-Man cake tin?

Spaghetti with Meatballs and Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
10 ripe cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
salt and sugar

500g beef mince
1 carrot, grated
3 broccoli spears, finely chopped
1/2 large or 1 small corn, kernals removed
salt and pepper

250g Egg pasta Vermicelli

Method

Fill a large pot with water. Pop the lid on and put over a high heat.

In a small saucepan add a good dash of extra virgin olive oil and pop over a low heat. Add the onion and garlic and a touch of salt. Sweat over a low heat for 5 minutes.

In a microwave dish add the corn kernals and broccoli and microwave until done (about 2 minutes) Set aside

In a large bowl throw in the mince and add the carrot and salt and pepper.

Add the cherry tomatoes to the small saucepan along with a another dash of salt and a sprinkle of sugar. Add a touch of water. Raise the heat to medium but keep an eye on it that it doesn't catch on the bottom.

Add the corn kernals and broccoli to the large bowl and give it a good mix through. Get out a large saucepan, add some olive oil to cover the base and pop over a medium high heat.

meanwhile, make your meatballs. If you make them small then they are easy to eat bite-size morsels and they will also be quicker to cook too! Have them all ready to go so they will have the same cooking time. When your pan is hot enough, add all the meatballs, starting with the centre of the pan and working your way out. Adjust heating if need be. You don't want to nuke them!

Add salt to the large pot of water and throw in your pasta. Pop 10 minutes on your timer.

Check your meatballs. Start with one of the outer ones. They should turn over easily with out breaking. If they do fall apart then they need more cooking on that side. If they are ready, turn over and pop the lid on. Cook for a few minutes or until cooked through. When ready, place on absorbant kitchen paper.

Drain pasta and place in bowls. Top with meat balls and tomato sauce. Adding fresh ground black pepper, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a huge amount of shaved parmesan cheese. Hopefully the dude in your life will be happy with this!