'Meatballs and Pasta'

Hello all! I am so sorry I haven't blogged in so long, I have been extremely busy. I cooked this meal last Friday and I think it turned out really well. I cooked it for my parents and 2 friends, I'll definitely be using this recipe again!

~Ingredients: 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 14 cream or plain crackers, 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, 1 pound of ground beef, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1 large egg, salt and pepper, olive oil, a small bunch of fresh basil, 1 medium onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 of fresh red chile, 2 x 14oz cans of diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, spaghetti, and parmesan for grating

I started by preparing the meatballs, I did this in the morning and then left them in the fridge until they were ready to cook. I picked the rosemary leaves off of the stalks and finely chopped them and put them in a large bowl. I then wrapped the crackers in a tea towel and crushed them until most of them were crushed. I then added them into the bowl and continued to crush them with the back of a wooden spoon. I then added the mustard, oregano, and ground meat. I then cracked the egg into bowl and added some salt and pepper. Now comes the gross part, you have to mash it together with your hands. For this I put on some rubber gloves, it was freezing because the beef had just come out of the fridge. Then when it is in a large ball, cut it into 4 even parts, and roll each part into another ball. Then divide each ball again into 6 smaller parts, and roll into balls again. Then put them on a plate, drizzle them with olive oil, jiggle them around a bit so they are well covered, cover them, and then place them in the fridge until they are needed.

Now, when you are ready it is time to chop all the vegetables and cook the meatballs. First, put the kettle on to boil (for the pasta). First, put the largest frying pan you have onto a medium heat and add a large lug of olive oil. Squeeze all the meatballs into the frying pan and cook for 8 minutes, or until cooked, constantly turning the meatballs until all the sides are cooked. Afterwards, take the meatballs out of the frying pan and place onto an enamel plate. Then peel and finely slice the onion. Now you should put the same large frying pan onto a medium heat and add 2 gollups of olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, throw in the onion and cook and stir around for 7 minutes or until they are golden. You do not want undercooked, and crunchy onions in your sauce. Now chop the red chile and the garlic, and pick off some large basil leaves. When the onions are cooked, add these 3 ingredients into the frying pan. Then also add the tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar. Then when you have seasoned the sauce add the meatballs into the sauce, and leave to cook on a low heat until your pasta is ready,

Serve the meatballs on top of some spaghetti on a large plate. I also served some garlic bread with mine. I think this meal turned out really well!