Spaghetti & Meatballs with Crispy Garlic & Herb Potato Wedges

Lunch, spaghetti and meatballs with garlic and herb roast potato
wedges and a rosemary and sea salt focaccia.

Hmm. Lunches and dinners. Quick and tasty main meals. Thinking of something to cook each day is pretty stressful. Searching for a recipe that is quick and tasty is even more difficult. Today morning I was given the choice of one of two chores; cooking, or ironing. Well, that one's a no brainer. As I've often mentioned before, ironing is tedious and dull, and leaves the mind to wander down paths one would rather not revisit. So, cooking it is!
I decided to make spaghetti and meatballs; quick, filling, and satisfyingly scrumptious, with garlic and herb roast potato wedges (because I was craving garlicky potato wedges), and to go with it was an (extremely easy) rosemary and sea salt focaccia, courtesy of my sibling. The most satisfying thing about this dinner was that it was all home made, from the meatballs to the accompanying bread, yet quick, simple, and delicious all the same.
I used home made meat balls, but you can use any you like in this recipe. This recipe is enough for eight (with leftovers) so feel free to cut down on the amounts if cooking for less people. I used red wine vinegar infused with honey and chilli, so I added slightly less sugar. Feel free to increase the amount slightly after tasting.

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Prepping my recipe mise.

INGREDIENTS:
8oz spaghetti
15-20 meatballs of your choice
Juice of half lemon
Fresh thyme

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:
2 cans chopped tomatoes
3 fresh tomatoes
1tsp chilli flakes
4-5 Cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 generous tsp dark brown sugar
3tbsp red or white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste.

METHOD:

1. Blend chopped tin tomatoes and fresh tomatoes to a fine puree.
2. Heat olive oil in pan and add in the chilli and garlic, cook until the chilli starts to smell quite strongly, then add in the pureed tomato.

   

   Quick and flavourful, perfect for spaghetti.

3. Bring to boil, simmer for approximately 15 minutes until thickened slightly. Add in the vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar, stir thoroughly and then bring to boil again. Simmer for a further ten minutes. Add seasoning and/or sugar according to taste.
4. Meanwhile fry the meatballs in a little oil until golden and well done. remove from pan, squeeze over juice of half a lemon, and set aside.
5. Cook the spaghetti as per instructions until it reaches al-dente, remove from water and place in serving dish.
6. Pour the thickened sauce over the spaghetti, toss well, and add the meatballs. Garnish with a generous amount of fresh thyme. Serve with garlic and herb potato wedges and focaccia, or alone if one so wishes.

Delicious, quick, and satisfying.

GARLIC AND HERB ROAST POTATO WEDGES
This recipe for potato wedges is my version of an original found a while ago, from a source I've completely forgotten. The original recipe had 20 garlic cloves in it, an amount I found astonishing. I cut down the amount to something slightly more reasonable, and added some of my own ingredients. The resultant wedges are delightfully lemony, garlicky, and herby mouthfuls with crisp salty skins. Mmmm.

INGREDIENTS:
8-9 medium sized potatoes, cut into wedges with skins on
8-10 garlic cloves, peeled and finely diced
Juice of one lemon
Three sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
Handful of fresh chives, chopped
Butter
Olive oil
Coarse sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste.

METHOD:

1. Boil potatoes for fifteen minutes on high heat, then drain and tip into a roasting tray. Squeeze over lemon juice, add blobs of butter, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt and toss gently.
2. Place in pre heated oven (approximately gas mark 6) for 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked and the skin is crispy.
3. Remove from oven, add in the garlic, herbs, and pepper, toss, then replace in the oven for a further 15 minutes, until the garlic is roasted slightly and the flavours infuse.
4. Serve immediately as a side to any dish.

Crispy and flavoursome, as all good potatoes should be.

Singaporean Rice & Noodles

Lunch today is Singaporean rice and noodles with spicy chicken and vegetables and a smooth and creamy mayonnaise sauce. This recipe belongs to one of my mum's friends, and makes a wickedly delicious and satisfying meal.


Deliciously satisfying; Singaporean Rice and Noodles

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup rice
8oz noodles or spaghetti
500g boneless chicken, cubed
2 onions cubed
2 capsicum (red or green) cubed
2 pak choi chopped
3 carrots sliced
4tbsp soy sauce
2tbsp of your preferred chilli sauce
3tbsp sweet tomato sauce
Diced fresh ginger
3 cloves finely diced fresh garlic
Finely diced fresh green chillies
1tsp red chilli flakes
Salt to taste

FOR THE SAUCE:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup fresh cream
3tbsp tomato sauce (e.g. ketchup)
1tsp sugar
1tsp salt
1tbsp vinegar
Dash of yellow food colouring (if one so wishes)

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan or skillet. stir fry the vegetables until they are just done, but still retain their crispness. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Fry the diced green chillies and 2 cloves of garlic separately and set aside.
3. Heat a little more oil in the frying pan and add ginger and the remaining garlic. Add the chicken and cook until it is thoroughly done and taken on colour.
4. Add the soy sauce, chilli sauce and tomato sauce and chilli flakes and cook until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt to taste.
5. Boil the rice until just done, drain and set aside.
6. Cook spaghetti until its just done. it should have an al-dente texture. Drain and set aside.
7. To make the sauce, combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly.
8. Arrange in a serving dish or large pot; begin by layering the rice and noodles or spaghetti, drizzle some sauce on top, top with vegetables and another drizzle of sauce, chicken, and lastly drizzle the remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with the fried chilli and garlic. Serve.

Easily enough for eight.

The vegetables, and amounts of certain ingredients in this recipe are according to family preferences. Remember, recipes are flexible. You can substitute the mentioned vegetables with others, or omit others entirely. you can also vary the amounts of sweet and chilli sauces, mayonnaise, fresh cream, fried chilli etc. according to you and your family's preferences. Happy cooking :)